Dear Friends,
At the start of a new year, my news feed is filled with articles about diets, exercise and sleep routines, and reports of research showing the correlation between social connections and well-being. This focus on wellness has inspired me to adopt a health-related resolution for 2023.
This year I resolve to improve my health by having a better work-life balance. I have adopted similar resolutions in the past with less success than desired. This time, however, I am telling you about my resolution in the hopes that I will be successful!
To achieve a better work-life balance, I resolve to undertake the following.
1. Spend more time taking advantage of Yale activities. I will visit more frequently the encyclopedic collections at the Yale University Art Gallery and the exceptional works at the Yale Center for British Art (join me before it closes on February 27, 2023 for building conservation!). Until it re-opens in 2024, I will explore the vast collections of the Yale Peabody Museum online.
I will attend productions on campus at the internationally celebrated Yale Repertory Theatre, the University Theatre by the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, and the Yale Dramat (the Yale Dramatic Association). And of course, there are musical performances!
On the athletics side, the Yale Women’s hockey team is the #2 ranked team nationally. They are in a heated race for 1st place in the ECAC conference and would love to have alumni come out to Ingalls Rink (free admission) or on the road to cheer them on.
I hope to see some of you at these events!
2. Support social connections personally and for all of you. Yale alumni love being with other Yale alumni and I am no exception. In 2022, with the easing of COVID restrictions, my spirits were buoyed by the YAA’s resumption of in-person events. We began with the Yale International Alliance’s gathering in Rome, Italy with alumni from Finland, Argentina, Korea, Turkey, Lebanon, and other countries. Yale Alumni Academy resumed faculty-led travel to Italy, London, and Morocco. Yale clubs and associations hosted events such as “watch parties” of The Game. Most notably, we hosted a record 22 Yale College reunions. And there were many other in-person events organized by alumni volunteers, plus online events.
I hope you too will seek to connect by volunteering or participating in Yale alumni activities.
3. Get more sleep. This resolution will be a challenge: I will try to stop online activities earlier in the evening. If necessary, I can take advantage of Yale’s incredible researchers and faculty specializing in sleep medicine. Also, Yale New Haven Hospital has a Sleep Medicine Center.
4. Continue to consume dark chocolate. It’s one of the best sources of antioxidants! I know I can keep this resolution! Thanks to generous friends, the YAA and I currently have a large supply of this nutrient-rich albeit caloric food.
Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy 2023!
Best,
Weili Cheng ’77, Pierson College
Executive Director
Yale Alumni Association
P.S. Care to share with me your resolutions for 2023?
P.P.S. I’m also excited to share news about an upcoming collaboration with the Yale Alumni Magazine and the YAA. Starting in March, the YAA will share content from the Alumni Magazine in the monthly alumni e-newsletter that all alumni receive. Our hope is that this will make it easier for all alumni to enjoy the robust content that the magazine produces.
