This seems to be the first year I've really embraced the "life is a journey, not a destination" notion. I graduated from Columbia with a blank slate in front of me and no idea what to make of it. And so far, it's been quite the roller coaster. It's been an incredible year in discovering what is going to work for me post-school life, post-graduation, and post-emerging-adulthood if you will. I'm discovering that this is my narrative, my story, I'm the author, that the best is still unwritten and all that jazz.
I remember sitting at Thai Market in October, with my 3 new roommates, 2 from India, and 1 Indian American, and marveling at the shift my life has taken. From the confusion of working in counseling and not knowing my next step, to realizing that I don't need to know my next step, to just taking it day by day, to embracing every new opportunity that has come my way, I was truly taken aback by the emotion I felt. It was a moment I truly felt connected to the human spirit, to the beauty of life, how it evolves, and how each day can really bring new and unexpected opportunities.
So, 3 jobs, 1 career shift, 1 cross-country relocation, 1 new best friend, and 1 boyfriend later, I've learned the following lessons about life and about myself (with a little sarcasm mixed in) in 2011:
1. I can be my most harsh critic. Redefining failure and success has completely altered my view of the world and the risks I am wiling to take.
2. I have the best friends in the world. I would not, and I mean that literally, be where I am sitting today, without their support. Friends who encouraged me to follow my heart, who let me sleep in their living rooms and spare bedrooms for weeks on end, who fed or bought me dinner, who cheered me on through long days of interviews, through homesickness, loneliness, doubts, all the way to celebrating victories and laughs, and even getting me through a hurricane.
3. The amount of money in your checking account (or the amount of money you owe in student loans) is not directly related to your happiness. That's not saying that I don't still wish that one of those Change.org petitions about erasing everyone's student loans wouldn't magically change my life, but still.
4. My family will always be my family. Cliche I know. And brilliant I know. But, I am learning through all the shifts, that whether or not it's time for my parents to downsize and move in to a different house than what I consider "home", or my brother living in Argentina, or my younger sister having a baby, my even younger sister getting ready to graduate high school, or my older sister flourish in to a successful entrepreneur, that all that is required of me is to reach out and connect and that none of these external changes really matter.
5. I'm going to be ok. It doesn't matter if I live in Arizona, New York, or Timbuktu, if I make 10 dollars an hour or 50, if I listen to myself and what is best for me, I will always find my way.
So as I get ready to head home for the holidays and close out this year, I am thinking of all the people I've been blessed to cross paths with, and resonating with these words:
My Heart is ravished with delight,
when thee I think upon;
All Grief and Sorrow takes the flight,
and speedily is gone;
The bright resemblance of thy Face,
so fills this, Heart of mine;
That Force nor Fate can me displease,
for Auld Lang Syne.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
25 Facts About Me and My Life Part Deux
By popular demand (ok not really), I am writing a sequel to my original Facebook post containing 25 facts about me and my life. For the first edition, click here.
So without further adieu:
1. Due to the recent events of my life, I know way too much about drug addiction. Including what heroin withdrawals, pill overdose, and just plain craziness look like.
2. I hate washing my hair.
3. I am morally opposed to all things below 50 degrees farenheit. This weather change causes me to do things fiscally irresponsible like buy inordinate amounts of boots and scarves, and hail cabs without realizing it.
4. I have stitches on my left arm from playing on a broken swingset. I have stitches on my forehead from crashing in to the corner of a dresser.
5. I am a sucker for all things miniature (including babies, snowmen, and all things travel size).
6. I do an uncanny impersonation of Elmo (and have a slight obsession with him).
7. My sister Stephanie and I quote random people from our past on an almost daily basis. This includes my BYU college roommates, former coworkers who probably don't remember who we are, all the way to random strangers we rode the bus with in elementary school.
8. My sister Angela and I have developed a random affinity towards talking in alien voices, which then prompts my impression of Toucan Sam.
9. I. Love. Pizza. And bagels. This may be why I have a love/hate relationship with New York City.
10. I am a raging feminist, with a love for all things gender celebratory. But, I don't kill bugs. That's a man's job.
11. Despite my training as a counselor, if you try to explain instructions or rules to me, I will immediately tune out and stop listening.
12. I like to randomly use words I learned from studying for the GRE in 2007, including amalgamate. And abscond.
13. I love watching movies. I hate watching TV.
14. Flying on airplanes makes me nauseous. I hate the smell of stale air. I compensate for this by purchasing trashy magazines and 14 different kinds of snacks before boarding.
15. I secretly want to be the next person to record the subway announcements for the New York MTA.
16. I am simultaneously a peace maker and a drama queen.
17. Because everyone seems to feel betrayed when they learn they never knew this about me, I am left handed. There, I said it.
18. For some odd reason, I have a reputation for being loud.
19. I'm basically a vegetarian. Except for cheeseburgers. And carne asada.
20. I am bad at taking eye exams. I have been incorrectly prescribed strong corrective lenses about 10 times throughout my childhood.
21. If you care, my love language is quality time. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can click here.
22. Diet coke. Duh.
23. I have a (slightly) irrational fear of driving over water. Bridges collapse sometimes. Like in Harry Potter 6 for example.
24. I have social anxiety. It's a real thing.
25. Oh, and I'm part of the 99%.
So without further adieu:
1. Due to the recent events of my life, I know way too much about drug addiction. Including what heroin withdrawals, pill overdose, and just plain craziness look like.
2. I hate washing my hair.
3. I am morally opposed to all things below 50 degrees farenheit. This weather change causes me to do things fiscally irresponsible like buy inordinate amounts of boots and scarves, and hail cabs without realizing it.
4. I have stitches on my left arm from playing on a broken swingset. I have stitches on my forehead from crashing in to the corner of a dresser.
5. I am a sucker for all things miniature (including babies, snowmen, and all things travel size).
6. I do an uncanny impersonation of Elmo (and have a slight obsession with him).
7. My sister Stephanie and I quote random people from our past on an almost daily basis. This includes my BYU college roommates, former coworkers who probably don't remember who we are, all the way to random strangers we rode the bus with in elementary school.
8. My sister Angela and I have developed a random affinity towards talking in alien voices, which then prompts my impression of Toucan Sam.
9. I. Love. Pizza. And bagels. This may be why I have a love/hate relationship with New York City.
10. I am a raging feminist, with a love for all things gender celebratory. But, I don't kill bugs. That's a man's job.
11. Despite my training as a counselor, if you try to explain instructions or rules to me, I will immediately tune out and stop listening.
12. I like to randomly use words I learned from studying for the GRE in 2007, including amalgamate. And abscond.
13. I love watching movies. I hate watching TV.
14. Flying on airplanes makes me nauseous. I hate the smell of stale air. I compensate for this by purchasing trashy magazines and 14 different kinds of snacks before boarding.
15. I secretly want to be the next person to record the subway announcements for the New York MTA.
16. I am simultaneously a peace maker and a drama queen.
17. Because everyone seems to feel betrayed when they learn they never knew this about me, I am left handed. There, I said it.
18. For some odd reason, I have a reputation for being loud.
19. I'm basically a vegetarian. Except for cheeseburgers. And carne asada.
20. I am bad at taking eye exams. I have been incorrectly prescribed strong corrective lenses about 10 times throughout my childhood.
21. If you care, my love language is quality time. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can click here.
22. Diet coke. Duh.
23. I have a (slightly) irrational fear of driving over water. Bridges collapse sometimes. Like in Harry Potter 6 for example.
24. I have social anxiety. It's a real thing.
25. Oh, and I'm part of the 99%.
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