Mind, Body, and Soul

Korrin B.

September 29, 2009 - 8:35 PM

This day has finally come and, in turn, has come to an end. The first day of classes for the 2009-10 academic year is over. Today, I only had one class and that one class wasn't until noon, so I can't say that it was too hard of a day for me. I was able to leisurely roll out of bed as if I were still on summer break. The one thing that just had to shove it in my face that it is no longer summer? Rain. I woke up to pouring rain. Later, on campus, I walked through a light hail. That's Eugene's wicked way of saying, "Welcome back, students!"

Rain and cold aside, I am looking forward to my classes this term and for the year in general (I think). This term I am beginning the American Sign Language sequence to fulfill my always-looming language requirement. I am also taking it, however, because it seems like a fabulous skill to have and I have only heard good things about the class from my friends who have taken it before. I met the infamous "Jo" who teaches it today and I could already tell that she is, in fact, as awesome as everyone makes her out to be. She seemed to have a great personality and solid investment in the class this afternoon.

I am taking two other classes in addition to ASL. On Friday, I will be attending my first class of HC 431H, better known as an Honors College colloquia class. This one happens to be known as Mental Illness in Literature. The title sounds pretty interesting and I picked up my required books for the class yesterday and they all look like fun reads (we'll see if I still choose the word "fun" later on). I love taking classes that seem completely random to anything I'm doing with my life. I think that is the best part of getting a liberal arts education.

My third class is PPPM 480, also known as Introduction to Nonprofit Management. This is something that is a little more related to my career interests (whatever those may be - still working on the fine tuning of this). I am excited for this class because I loved PPPM 280, Introduction to the Nonprofit Sector, which I took last spring. PPPM 480 is taught by Bob Choquette, the same teacher who taught PPPM 280. I also had Professor Choquette for a grant writing class I took. I was amazed how he could even get excited about something as, well, dry, as grant writing. My only concern for this class is the same concern that I have for my HC 431H class. Both of these classes only meet once a week and are hence three hours long. I hope I can keep my concentration that long! I must remember to pack snacks.

So, now that I have given an overview of what's to come for me this term, I can only assume that my reader is left thinking, "Why did she title her blog ‘Mind, Body, and Soul'?" Let me explain.

I had my class today, then I had a training for my work, and then I got home and was feeling burnt out and grumpy. Earlier in the day while I was on campus, I went and bought my rec fitness punch card for the term. The UO Recreation Center offers group fitness classes each term that are done by a drop in basis. You buy a punch card and then each time you go in, someone marks off that you went on your card. You can buy a punch card from one to twenty workouts or just buy an unlimited pass. Non-UO students can buy one too, but it just costs a bit more. I love it because you can try out a bunch of different classes and because it's a lot cheaper for me to do these classes than to pay out of state tuition for the one credit I would get from signing up for a PE class. Some of the classes offered are kickboxing, cycling, body sculpting, hip-hop, fitness yoga, stretch and flex, and basic step aerobics. Anyway, at home and grumpy, I heated up a can of soup and ate it - grumpily. I had no energy and did not want to do anything. Then I got to thinking that maybe I should force myself to go to one of the evening fitness classes. Perhaps a little movement might actually make me feel better and more energized. So, I reluctantly changed into my workout clothes and drove back to campus for the evening group cycling class.

After making a fool out of myself a few times because I had never used one of these bikes before and, hence, struggled to put the seat and handle bars on, I finally got into the rhythm of it and was soon pedaling away. I zoned out to the hypnotic music that played and pictured myself biking across the world. Sometimes I was with my bike gang, other times I rode solo. I was sweating profusely and at times I looked at the clock and thought to myself, "Dear Lord, we're only ten minutes into the class?" Then, all of a sudden, I had survived the hour. I got off my bike, walked to my car, and felt good. The exercise endorphins danced throughout my body. For a brief moment, I felt at one with the universe. As I drove home, I began to contemplate this feeling. By moving my body, I felt great. Then, I thought about how I had felt great the other day talking about academics with the PPPM internship director. "Take care of the body and feed the mind," I began to think and then it hit me, "Mind, Body, and Soul." I finally realized the strong truth in that historical threesome. "I could blog about this," I continued to think.

Therefore, I have decided that my theme for the 2009-10 academic year is going to be "Mind, Body, and Soul." I have already described a bit of my senior year angst in my previous blog and I know that at times this year, I may hit some rough patches, but I have decided to just always come back to Mind, Body, and Soul. This year, I am going to feed my mind with every bit of knowledge that I can soak up from my classes. I want to work extra hard this year and really take my studies seriously. This year, I am going to take care of my body. I am going to eat fabulous foods and I am going to exercise on a regular basis. I want to do exercises that are fun, not just treadmilling with the masses. I shall count my private dance parties as exercise, although hopefully they will be in addition to other activities. Ellen Degeneres always says, you have to move it or you lose it. I'm going to move it. This year, I am also going to nourish my soul. I have set up a craft table in my new studio and right now it is covered in acrylic paints and canvasses of all sizes. I'm going to start painting again. I'm going to journal. I'm going to buy an oversized hat just because it's fabulous. I am going to do the things that make my soul sing.

Readers of my blog this year can expect to follow me through a pure journey of love of self and space as I nurture the Mind, Body, and Soul.