Make Time to Make Memories

As a student who is very dedicated to my school work and grades I know that life in school can seem overwhelming. There are so many days when I feel like finishing all of my assignments, studying for exams, and working on group projects just won’t get done because there’s too much. It can be very stressful and feels like all you can focus on. But what I have to sometimes remind myself is that years from now I’m not going to remember all the nights that I avoided friends, going out, or laughing historically in the living room. I’m going to remember working hard at my grades but I’m not going to remember individual times, it’s just going to be one big blur of studying.

When I force myself to take a break and do something random on a weekday night like staying up till 3 a.m. live tweeting a High School Musical marathon with my sisters, or seeing a play, or celebrating a friends 21st birthday, I know that I will always remember. I know that when I look back on college, those are the nights that I’m going to remember and look fondly on. Tonight I went to an event with my sorority sisters where we paired with a fraternity and learned different ballroom dancing styles. We all dressed up, gathered in the big ball room, had little appetizers, and had a blast learning dances and getting to know each other.

Moral of the story, keep your grades up. Don’t fall too behind in classes and neglect what you are responsible to finish. However with that being said, don’t neglect your friends. Don’t be afraid to put your homework aside to have a fun time because if you’re a good student, you will always find time to get it done. Make time to make memories.

Tough Choices

If there’s one thing you can count on in life, it is that you will be sent plenty of curveballs. There are so many choices in life that we are asked to make and some of them are huge decisions that can affect the rest of your life. This is one thing that I struggle with, seeing as I can barely decide what movie I should watch. When you’re 18 you are asked to decide if you want to continue schooling and if you do, where you want to spend the next four years of your life. Not only that but you have to choose what you want to do for the rest of your life for your career. Who at 18 can possibly know that? I thought that I did, but because of the twists and turns I’ve gone through in life, I am now on a completely different path.

Choices in relationships happen all the time and can be hard to think about. Do I want to put in the effort to continue my relationships with friends from high school? Do I want to focus on my future and let go of the past? Am I truly happy in my relationship, or am I just comfortable? These questions can be really hard to answer and can sometimes leave you feeling overwhelmed and empty of answers. However in times like these, it is important to think about what will make you happiest. You’re happiness is what should drive your decisions in life especially in tough decisions.

Last year I was faced with choosing between transferring schools and continuing to pursue my dream of theater, or staying at my current school, figuring out something else to study, and still being surrounded by my friends. I couldn’t possibly imagine my life without my friends in it but at the same time I couldn’t imagine loving something as much as theater. In the end I knew I would be unhappy without my friends and my support system so I stayed at Ball State and began exploring new career options. I now am studying advertising and absolutely have fallen in love with it.

An anonymous quote that I remind myself of when things in my life are changing and I worry about how they will end up is

“Don’t be afraid of change. You may end up losing something good, but you’ll probably end up gaining something so much better.”

Change is inevitable but keep a positive calm outlook and trust that things will work out for the better.

It can be scary when change in your life is happening. But it can be even scarier when it comes down to you to make a decision that lays out how the change will go. I’ve been struggling with some decisions in my life and find myself thinking about them all the time and trying to figure out what will make me happiest, but the honest truth is that I don’t know. I’m unsure of the best thing to do and don’t really know what I want. I stumbled across this quote the other day and it really put things into perspective for me and is helping me work through this change in my life and hopefully can work for you, when you find yourself in a similar position.

“When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you. But because in that brief moment when the coin is in the air, you suddenly know what you are hoping for.”

Lovin’ the Leaves

 

So loving fall has been portrayed by the public as something “basic” and is meaningless because “everyone loves fall”. Personally, I don’t find that a bad thing- who cares if everyone loves fall? Everyone loves it because fall is AMAZING. Fall has many wonderful aspects: pumpkin patches, apple cider, bonfires, Halloween, sweaters and boots, cuddling and pumpkin flavored everything. However one of  my favorite parts of this great season is the changing leaves. I have a slight obsession with spending time outside on nice days, in fact being inside when the weather is nice is my biggest pet peeve. Even if I have nothing to do outside, I’ll just go sit out there so that I don’t feel guilty about being inside. This kicks into high gear in the fall because I know that warm sunny days are coming to and  end as winter moves in. Another reason why this is heightened in the fall is because I want to soak up every minute of the colored leaves.

The beauty of the leaves is all over, sometimes in a single tree that almost seems to be on fire with the vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows. Sometimes the beauty comes in the form of a whole hill covered with trees or a path lined with all the season’s colors.

View from my camping spot in Wisconsin over Fall Break.

When the leaves fall around me as I walk by or I hear the crunch of the leaves under my feet I can’t help but smile. It is hard to put into words the feeling that it gives, but it seems to be the essence of pure simple happiness. When I see a large group of leaves on the ground, I instantly have the urge to run through them or throw them in the air. The other day I was riding my bike in a residential area just off campus and saw multiple people raking leaves- not to jump in, but to bag and throw away— FALL HATERS was all I could think as I rode by.

I even go out of my way to see these leaves, including taking 45 minute drives purely to enjoy the leaves on the backroads of my hometown.

This mild obsession with fall and the leaves may be silly but for a few weeks, something as simple as a leaf can put a smile on my face and to me that’s something to fully enjoy.

My hometown of Galena, Illinois