2017 has come and gone. In fact, we're already in the second season of 2018. Last year I tried a new thing for the first time; I kept a running document all year of various thoughts or phrases that would pop into my head that I enjoyed. A sort of collection of personal aphorisms, though many of them owe their existence to the ideas of others. Here, unedited, is what I wrote. The best of my conscious and collected thoughts of last year.

The age of radical self-identity has fundamentally altered who we love, and yet it has had no bearing upon how we love. The objects of our affection may have become more diverse, but the framework through which we view love has not been updated to match.

It is only through the looking of many lenses that we can begin to see with any clarity

Every single person, no matter their background or actions, deserves a basic level of courtesy, decency, and respect. It is not a reflection of them, but a reflection of myself and my view of the world.

I often wish I had more profound things to say. I know when the situation calls for it I can come up with something nice, but when my mind is clear and still the words simply do not come.

If the words do not come naturally, they are not worth comiting to paper, nor indeed to memory.

Faith does not require evidence. The existence of evidence denies the ability for faith to be present.

At the end of the day, all we can do is breathe. Our breath is with us from the moment we're born until the moment we die. We must not forget to pay attention to it from time to time.

There is no work worth doing that is not worth doing twice, but try not to have to.

Before anything is undertaken, remember to plan. After all is done, remember to assess.

Thoughtfulness is habitual. Work it like a muscle. Compassion, too.

A hearty PB&J is a solid breakfast, but an egg sandwhich is better. Do not skip coffee. If you must, make sure not to skip water.

Do not skip coffee.

Tea with honey is much better than tea without.

When in doubt, drink water, and breathe.

You will not always be happy. You will sometimes be very, tremendously, sad. This is a good thing. Cherish sadness.

A good book is not one that is written well. A good book is one that makes you think. A great book is one that makes you feel. Make sure to read plenty of both.

Chocolate milk goes best with Goldfish. This is a universal law.

The Rule of Thirds can make for wonderful photographs, but so can breaking it.

Every philosophy is imperfect. People are imperfect. Do not fret over sticking to a particular philosophy, they are not designed for such rigorous use and wear out easily.

After you fluff a pillow, put a karate-chop in the top of it, it looks better.

One can never have too many decorative pillows.

Seek professional usefulness. Seek personal happiness. Do not confuse the two.

Health. Family. Friends. Work. These are the keys. Balance them.

Balance is not always even. Balance is peace. Even is fair. Balance is not always fair. Fair is hardly ever peaceful. To be at peace, balance.

Reverence does not require divinity. Have a shrine. Humans enjoy sanctity. Embrace reverence. My alter is a photograph and a pair of glasses.

Keep your brain as empty as possible. Fill your mind with knowledge, but let your brain breathe. Frequent to-do lists help in this.

A quiet evening with friends is always better than a crazy night with strangers.

Go to bed earlier than you think you need. Morning always comes too soon.

Take the time to consider not only the logos of your work, but the pathos. There is much wisdom to be gained where thought and emotion meet.

The logos is thought. The pathos is felt. The only thing known is wisdom.

There is beauty in the decrepit, embrace antiquity.

The spoken word is music, the written word knowledge.

Take more pictures. Turn off the flash.

Tablets were invented for a reason, use your phone for less.

Love freely. It will lead to tremendous pain, but that is more than worth the gains.

Dance. Sing. Talk in funny voices. You are not as serious as you might think.

There are truly few joys in life so pure and genuine as connection with another human. There is a simple beauty (and all true beauties are simple) to communication with another, known or new, that just flows. You know exactly the sort of conversation I mean. The sort where time seems to just slip away and an hour feels like five minutes. It is these people, with whom you can communicate in such a manner, that are the people you must keep close. For they are the ones who elevate you from simply existing, to living.

When you listen to music, do not simply hear the notes and rhythms. Listen to the emotions. If there are themes, pay them heed. Leitmotifs tell the real story, the internal struggles of the people portrayed as characters.

Immersing yourself into a story is not escaping reality. True, it is nice to leave the world for fiction from time to time, but the real consequence of fiction is not escapism. The real consequence of fiction is the ability to see a more wondrous world, a more vivid reality, and a heightened existence. Fictions help us appreciate our world on a deeper level. Read. Enjoy music. See plays. Stories are the blood of life, the breath of humanity.

When all else fails, resort to pen and paper to-do lists

A perfect job is one that allows for quality of life

Buy nice, or buy twice

There is no such thing as multitasking. There is only splitting attention between two things

Strength of character does not equate to strength of personality or ability

Hipsters are a direct result of Post-Modernism

Be present. Be aware. Stay mindful.

Remember to breathe

Boredom is an essential aspect of creativity. Engage in boredom.

It is incredibly frustrating that it feels as though so many leave us so frequently. Life is hard. We form bonds with each other but life is such that holding on to those bonds forever isn't an option. The trick is to learn to have a deep and profound appreciation for the time that was had with our loved ones. Loss is pain, but pain cannot overpower the magic of connection.

One of the best lessons I was taught was that my thoughts and opinions are not me, they are merely things I keep in this box I call my brain. When a better thought comes along there is no reason to not discard the old thought

The real magic is not how beautiful or spectacular the shows are, it's not the rides or the parades. The real Disney magic is the feeling of being in a little corner of the world surrounded by strangers and communally sharing a view of hope, dreams, and optimism. It is the connections between people, both guest and cast. It's the little smiles, the gleam of wonder in the eye, the humanity.