RESOLUTIONS: IN 2023! ASSUMPTION ALUMNAE RESOLVE TO…..
By Ana de Villa Singson
It’s a new year! New hopes, new dreams…and a brand new set of resolutions! And what do Assumption alumnae resolve to do in 2023? We posted a Word Cloud survey among Assumption High School and College alumnae and asked them to respond to just one simple question: “ In 2023, I resolve to _____________.” Respondents were requested to post their top 3 answers. The answers were then presented in a word cloud.
But what is a word cloud? Also known as a wordle, word collage, tag cloud, a Word Cloud is a visual representation of responses given to a particular survey question. In the word cloud, responses that are given more often are more prominently displayed. Responses frequently given by respondents of the survey will appear to have larger, bolder fonts in the cloud.
How did Assumption alumnae respond? There is a strong preponderance for HEALTH…top of the list of resolutions: EXERCISE | EXERCISE REGULARLY/ MORE | EAT HEALTHY!| REGULAR WALKING EXERCISE! Perhaps the pandemic underlined our need to keep ourselves strong and more immune to health scares…perhaps we just want to lose weight!
I was so gratified and happy to see that GO TO FACE TO FACE MASS was prominent in the word cloud. Emerging from the pandemic, we are now leaving our “bubbles” and enjoying movies, restaurant meals, events, parties, get togethers. If we can make time for these, surely we can make time to visit God in his home? Online masses are good, God is everywhere after all. But, as I had told my husband and family: “Since we are now going out , we can definitely go to church for mass. It is an act of respect to go to God’s house and show our reverence and gratitude. He’s been going to our house, online, for 2 or more years. Time for us to go to His.” I told them too that the priests and the parishes rely on stipends from parisioners, so what better way is there to give stipends than through offertory during mass? February 18 is a big day for the AAA. We will be holding our first face-to-face mass, the Mass for Our Dearly Departed, in the AC San Lo Chapel at 4 p.m. It’s an anticipated mass celebrated by Fr. Dennis Paez, SDB. We hope to seed you and our families there, face to face.
Prominent too in the word cloud are to PRAY MORE. BE MORE PATIENT. BE KINDER.
What beautiful resolutions! We want to be healthier, caring for our bodies through exercise and proper diet. We also want to strengthen our minds and spirituality through prayer, patience, kindness, going to mass face to face in the house of God. Mens sana in corpore sanod. Total wellbeing. May we all achieve it!
Lastly, resolutions remain pipedreams unless we make them happen … and make them last! Last year, I resolved to lose 10 pounds in 2 months for the wedding of a niece…I had to fit into a figure-hugging, not very forgiving gown! And I did! But not long after, I gained the weight back. So I am trying a new approach. A book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear claims to have an easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones. Evidence-based, I’ve seen my son practice the book’s guidelines…and they are working beautifully for him. Reading that book is now one of my resolutions too…and with hope and a prayer…maybe my 2023 resolutions can happen…and have lasting lifetime effects too.
Wishing that all your resolutions (the ones that are good for you anyway) come true!