Cyril+Sharing

__October 17th, 2010 - 8:02 PM__ Well that certainly was a fast Fall Break. Granted, it does fly by when you have a schedule to keep. My four days off was spent visiting my girlfriend, performing alongside the members of the Cornell Symphony Orchestra, and eating lots of delicious food. Although this may seem like a lot to have accomplished during such a small time frame, it still remains a fact that this break was far too short in my opinion.

Break is a funny word, isn't it? When it's used in the context of "Summer Break" or something of the like, it has a nice relaxing connotation to it. However, when used in ways like "breaking up" or "breaking something," it suddenly has a sour taste to it. The //Online Etymology Dictionary// says that the word "break" comes from the Old English word //brecan// meaning to "burst, shatter; destroy." (see [|Word Origin & History]) Now it sounds like respective school vacations are destructions of obtained knowledge huh? I digress though. Or do I?

"Break" is a catalyst for new things to occur. If you break up with somebody in a relationship, you become single (sorry ladies, I am still taken). If you become single, you are open to dating again, which in turn means that you might eventually end up in a new relationship. Or if you break a vase! To forgo the obvious example of getting a new vase, even if you put it all back together it will still have a new look to it. No matter how you look at it and in what connotation it is meant in, the word "break" shouldn't be something to be cautious about. Quite the opposite; it should be embraced! It allows change to enter the equation and through that, new and amazing doors start to open up that we can explore.

Here's where I challenge you. The next time that you hear the word "break" used in any sense, consider this: what new opportunities are awaiting to appear because of this "break?" When you think about it, the amount of possibilities should alone be exciting to imagine. Now to bring this back full circle to the past four days, I'm glad to have had this time to regather myself and recuperate because for the next seven weeks or so, a lot of things are going to break and spawn change in my life.

You may now take a break from reading. Your challenge has begun.

-C.S. Bodnar

__October 12th, 2010 - 10:10 AM__ This is my last several weeks of undergraduate life and I've got to admit, it's a pretty weird feeling. I feel like it was just yesterday that I moved into 117 Landon and started my journey here. Now that it's almost 4 1/2 years later, I'm looking back on my time here and wondering if I really accomplished all I could here. I guess as a way of making it up to myself, I thought that I would start a small blog here to post random thoughts and comments about events and happenings that I find unique or meaningful.

This past weekend, I participated in Ithaca College's own Dancesport competition. It had been around 2 years since I last ballroom danced competitively so it would be wrong for me to admit that I wasn't at all nervous. My one partner and I had been practicing for weeks for this competition and really wanted to walk out of it at the end of the day having at least one ribbon to show that I accomplished something at the end of the day. To no avail though...no ribbons. At first, my primary emotion was disappointment. Not in my partner, but in myself. Had I not tried hard enough? Maybe I tried to hard or was too ambitious? Regardless to say, I was in a funk. As the time went on throughout the weekend though, I slowly came to this realization:

As nervous as I was for this competition, my partner was even more nervous than I was. However, no matter if we received callbacks or not for the dances we did, I assured her that she was doing everything she could do and should be happy with what she did. And she was, and would smile whenever I reassured her. It was thinking back upon this that I myself realized that sometimes we give advice and comfort to others so readily that we forget to follow it ourselves. I spent time comforting and reassuring my partner that she did her best, but had not realized myself that I too did my best. After admitting this to myself, I became proud of the fact that after being out of the competitive dance circuit for 2 years, I decided to come back for one last semester here and try it one more time "for old times sake."

So maybe as a thought for the day, take a moment and remind yourself of something good that you do or comfort yourself in something that seems to be troubling you. As great as it is to do that for others, sometimes we ourselves need it so we //can// do that for others.

-C.S. Bodnar