things i should tell myself more often

Luck is believing you're lucky. - Tennessee Williams

Being a junior in college has its advantages as well as its drawbacks. On one hand, you're still enjoying an era of academic predictability & good times, and on the other, you are trying to plan for a future, or as your professors will call it: THE REAL WORLD. Everyone at this age is discussing their past & present, picking and choosing which moments have made them or will make them into who they are supposed to be.

Scary! The real world implies that everyone has been living in an almost alternate reality for the last four years, and that everything that is out 'there' is out to get us. At least, that's how some of my peers feel. They are afraid they won't find a job, a spouse, a nice house with a white picket fence & two car garage. They are worried that there is nothing out there for them after four years of blue books, Beirut, and basic irresponsibility.

On the other hand, there are those who can't wait to get out of this little college town. They see the entire world open to them and filled with countless opportunities and can't wait to get out there and show what they're made of. College was a great time for them to grow and figure out who they are (& possibly learn a thing or two in class along the way), but once they are handed that diploma, they are going to get out there & change the world.

Having recently decided to move west, into the unknown, after graduation, I definitely identify with the latter group. My campus experiences have been both wonderful and, at times, seemingly abysmal, but they have come together to make me into the type of person that others can respect & count on. Social skills come to me with ease, so I will have no problem meeting people wherever I go. Also, as cliche as it may be, I also want to change the world in my own way.

However, I am also already getting nostalgic. I will miss the sorority socials, the comfortable predictability of showing up to lecture to absorb information, and being unable to walk down the street without running into at least five people I know. IU has become a second home for me, and although I have traveled throughout my experiences here, I always return home to campus. Once I no longer have a Bloomington address, I want to believe that the comfortable feeling I have here won't change, but I'm not exactly sure where life will take me...

All in all, while I believe it is important to be both excited for the future and appreciative of the past, it is MOST important to be enthusiastic and involved in the present. I am so happy right now, in my sorority girl/journalism major/tourism management guru/little 500 cycling team member/friend/sister/runner/sucker for a good cause volunteer/daughter roles. Such vive can't be measured; being content is not about my GPA, love life (or lack thereof), miles run and biked, or even the number of Facebook friends I have. As college is coming to a close, I often have to remind myself to keep my mind on the present, because that is the one thing I can attempt to change or control as well as simply enjoy!

So - get out there, whether you are a freshman, a senior, or an alum. Do something that makes you happy, surround yourself with people you love, and don't ever forget that what you do today can make how you feel tomorrow infinitely better! Worrying, as any Jewish mother (like mine) can tell you, only gets you so far. Learn from your past, look forward to your future, but live as fully as possible in the now! Show up to your own life and take part in it, instead of longing for or regretting the past or hiding from or yearning for the future. You may call me lucky to have arrived at the place of happiness I am at now, but it's taken me 21 years of victories and failures to get to this state of mind. I look forward to 21+ more years. But, with that said, I'm just as excited for the next 21 minutes!