The end of one year and the beginning of a new one always bring about the opportunity to reflect, as well as make resolutions for the future. At the end of 2016, 优蜜视频 staff took some time to look back our work, our programs, and some of the most memorable moments of the year:

鈥淥ne of the highlights of the year for me was how quickly and enthusiastically the 30 new 2016 CDB Scholars exchanged e-mails with each other, introducing themselves to their classmates with gusto鈥攁nd including ME as part of the thread.聽 It didn鈥檛 seem to matter whether a Scholar was an introvert or extrovert; they all dove in and freely talked about their passions in their own unique voices.聽 It has been a delight to get to know this class and help them navigate their way through each individual high school application process.鈥�

-Bonnie Raskin, Program Manager, Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship

鈥淒uring the summer, I had the chance to take the lunch shift at Academy, a free hour for kids who take classes all day to eat and play. It was a great opportunity to talk to some bright young minds about their interests, see them interact and develop friendships, and even play some games with them. Since my work at 优蜜视频 is more behind-the-scenes, I don鈥檛 get as many chances to interact with kids in our programs, so that lunch hour was a nice treat in the middle of a hectic season.鈥�

-Nicole LaChance, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

鈥淥ne of my favorite moments at camp (Yunasa Michigan) this year was participating in a music improvisation workshop led by counselor Chris Jones. Everyone did an amazing job improvising rhymes and singing along. Yunasa is such supportive and inviting community that even the shyest participants loosened up and got into the game.

–Morgan Carrion, Assistant to the President

鈥淚 was delighted to receive this note from an EXPLORE parent during the program鈥�.鈥�

After going through a year of rigorous academic preparation for various AP and other college level tests, it can be taxing on their curiosity and zeal to learn as college admission requirements weigh heavily on their mind. It is a welcome change to have real life exploration and training which rekindled his intellect and he is thoroughly enjoying the experience.

-Ni帽a Abonal, Program Coordinator, EXPLORE

鈥淥ne of my favorite times of year is always the staff retreat.聽 This is the time the team really connects on a deeper level, where lifelong bonds are formed and the direction of 优蜜视频 is solidified for the coming year.聽 I sort of think of it as the staff鈥檚 own Yunasa.聽 While each year there is dancing and singing at the end of the retreat, similar to 鈥淭he Dance鈥� at Yunasa/West, this year I felt that the team got to the heart of something intrinsic in our experience of working at 优蜜视频; and that is, the whole reason we do what we do.聽 We came together and defined the underlying truth behind WHY we are each here at 优蜜视频, and I feel we are a stronger team because of it.聽 I am excited to see this clarity influence all of our actions, efforts and communications with the children we serve and their families, and with each other.聽 2017 will be an exciting year for all of us!鈥�

-Zadra Rose Ibanez, Director of Operations

These are just a few of the wonderful moments we shared with 优蜜视频 participants, parents, and colleagues in 2016. As we begin 2017, we resolve to continue to work to provide the highest level of services for gifted youth while strengthening the bonds of the 优蜜视频 community.

Please share your memorable 优蜜视频 moments from 2016 or tell us your New Year鈥檚 resolutions for 2017!

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One of the questions we routinely ask applicants during an interview for a position with 优蜜视频 is: 鈥淗ow do you deal with stress?鈥�

If one were to ask me that, I would have several answers鈥攖ake deep breaths, go for a walk, or listen to music, for example鈥攂ut the answer that would describe the tactic that is first and most effective for me would be, 鈥淛ournal about the situation.鈥�

My good friend鈥檚 father is a very wise, very prominent businessman. One piece of advice I will always remember from him is, 鈥淚f you are mad, write a letter. Don鈥檛 mail it. Put it in your desk drawer and sleep on it. If you are still mad the next day, then you can mail it, but usually by then, you won鈥檛 want to.鈥�

Writing things down is a way to get situations and feelings out and to express them, to see them in a new light. The very act of writing is cathartic. In , Mary Gordon says:

Writing by hand is laborious, and that is why typewriters were invented. But I believe that the labor has virtue, because of its very physicality. For one thing it involves flesh, blood and the thingness of pen and paper, those anchors that remind us that, however thoroughly we lose ourselves in the vortex of our invention, we inhabit a corporeal world.

There are many ways to journal; travel-writing, write on a topic, describe yesterday, scribble thoughts of your future goals, aspirations, hopes and fears. One of the most effective ways for me to journal is . One example of this is the Morning Pages, made popular by Julia Cameron in her seminal book, The Artist鈥檚 Way (1992). In it, she says, 鈥淧ut simply, the morning pages are three pages of longhand writing, strictly steam-of-consciousness: 鈥極h, god, another morning. I have NOTHING to say. I need to wash the curtains. Did I get my laundry yesterday? Blah-blah-blah鈥︹�欌��

Cameron assures us, 鈥�There is no wrong way to do morning pages. These daily morning meanderings are not meant to be art. Or even writing. I stress that point to reassure the nonwriters鈥ages are meant to be, simply, the act of moving the hand across the page and writing down whatever comes to mind. Nothing is too petty, too silly, too stupid, or too weird to be included.鈥�

One key to getting the most out of Morning Pages is that they do not need to 鈥渟ound smart鈥�, and they are not meant to be read. By anyone. Including you. You shouldn鈥檛 read them yourself for at least two months, if ever. The point is to get the thoughts out, not to analyze them.

It doesn鈥檛 matter whether you are a writer or a carpenter, there is something useful in journaling. As Brenda Ueland said, 鈥渨riting is talking, thinking, on paper. And the more impulsive and immediate the writing the closer it is to the thinking, which it should be鈥�.It has shown me more and more what I am 鈥� what to discard in myself and what to respect and love鈥� (If You Want to Write, 1938).

So, as a method of meditation or stress-management or introspection, I invite you to write. As Julia says, 鈥淛ust write three pages, and stick them into an envelope. Or write three pages in a spiral notebook and don鈥檛 leaf back through. Just write three pages鈥nd write three more pages the next day.鈥� And please, let me know as it helps you create peace in your day.

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This post is part of the . Check out all of the other great blogs participating in Hoagies鈥� November Blog Hop!