Okay y'all. I know, I'm a couple visits behind. To be honest, I kinda lost sight of my blog but after seeing so many friends, family, and sisters this weekend and everybody asking where my posts had been, I figured it was time to get back to it.
So, this girl, who has never really been exposed to much culture other than the South, went out and lived on the West Coast for a month (gasp). I spent my time with the University of San Diego, the University of Arizona, and California State University at San Bernardino. I had In-n-Out burger, went paddle boarding (still kinda unsure about that whole experience), WENT TO DISNEY LAND and if you know me well you know I have always and will always be in love with all things Disney, swam in a new ocean with a ton of seaweed, tried AMAZING food, shopped, and saw sights that were absolutely breathtaking (you may have seen them on my SnapChat story..) I have had a lot of time to think about what I have done so far; 20 flights, a couple drives, and countless hours sitting alone in the airports to be exact, and here's what I came up with..
After doing the math, today marks exactly nine weeks on the road. And oh my goodness what a nine weeks it has been. I have completely changed how I operate, look at situations, and approach conversations. I have been challenged in ways I never thought were possible, and learned so much about myself and the woman I have become.
1. NEVER take anything for granted. Not a meal, a bed, being able to watch your favorite team play football, talking to your family whenever you want, having awesome roommates, clean laundry, being in the same time zone as your loved ones, anything. I always had things pretty easy and didn't realize how lucky I was to be able to drive two hours maximum to come home to see my parents for the weekend, or having a car that I could go anywhere in including simple things like going to Target when I'm out of shampoo or going to get Taco Bell late night with my roommates when we get bored and hungry. I know I say this all the time, but keeping in touch is quite a beast. Sometimes, after an afternoon of meetings, I will come back to over 20 texts, just as many emails, and a couple social media notifications as well. I promise I have loved getting all the encouraging words, but sometimes I just simply forget to respond to each of them!
2. The things that really matter in life you can't hold. Seems obvious, right? Well, after wearing the same outfit for the 10th time in 2 weeks, you realize that you really can live without a trip to TJ Maxx for every first date, sorority function, gameday, or random event you think you need to go spend money on. If we judge our successes by how many things we have, I would have basically nothing to show for. But the experiences I have already had after a fraction of my year on the road truly are priceless. Having only two suitcases and one purse to my name really has shown me to be thankful for everything I have and learning to live without a lot of 'frills.' Which I'll be the first to admit, I definitely needed something like this.
3. A thank you goes a long way. We expect so much out of people these days, and rarely do we take time to appreciate their work, let alone them as a person. If you ever want to make somebody's day, thank them for something that you've seen them do recently. Not only will they feel good and like they have made a difference in somebody's life, but hopefully they continue to spread the love.
4. Hand written notes are incredibly underrated. Coming from a girl who looks forward to getting mail every Wednesday, getting letters is literally THE BEST. Not gonna lie, when my parents made me write thank you notes the week after my birthday growing up I always thought it was a pain, but like basically everything else my parents made me do as a little girl growing up I couldn't stand, turns out they were right.. All along. Yes, Rhyne and Sara Anne, here it is in writing that y'all were RIGHT.
5. Go do something that you normally wouldn't do. You only get the opportunity to take advantage of something once with a lot of situations. I have a friend who I usually find myself talking to on the phone during my visits, and they always ask why I'm sitting in a coffee shop (or some other #basic place) when I could be out exploring a new city. In the beginning I always said "cause I'm tired" or "jet lag is a real thing quit hating on me!" But guess what- they are RIGHT. I am probably only going to be in the majority of these cities once in my life, and even if I do come back with business or something in the future, I won't have the freedom of getting to explore the city and bond with sisters at the same time. Make a bucket list for the city you're in and try something new. Go to new restaurants, go exploring out in the city/nature, or at least go to different parts of the campus to study so that after you've spent your time in where ever you are, you feel like you really spent it well and don't drive away with any regrets lingering in the rear-view mirror.
I know this blog post isn't one of my typical ones, but I wanted everybody to know I'm doing well and learning a lot (and thank you for sticking with my rambling for this long!) Being in several leadership roles in college, I kind of always thought I had been challenged and gotten through each of those as a better leader, sister, and person. Little did I know how much this time away from everything I have ever known would allow me to grow much beyond what I ever thought was possible.
Lots of love from California, Arizona, & now South Carolina,
Kathryn
Great article - travel on!
ReplyDelete