Act II: Growing

There is an orange piece of construction paper hanging on the door of my dorm room closet. I stare at it when homework turns me into a dead-eyed zombie. I answer questions about it when people visit my room. I quote it to myself - and have it quoted to me. I carry it in my mental backpack as I take the first few steps on the trek through sophomore year of college. In a rainbow array of marker, it reads:

This Year...
1) Drink more water
2) Get better posture
3) Embrace conversation
4) Refuse to be "fine"
5) Read more books

The first two are about being mindful of my body: the temple that God has given me, a gift to care for. The third is about building and expanding relationships. Yeah yeah, I know I already talk a lot, but this is about being intentional, and not avoiding deep, complicated conversations. The fourth is about caring for my emotions. They are there for a reason, and I will honor that by being honest about how I feel. The fifth is about feeding my brain - not just the textbook side, but also the fairytale side.

Growing. That's the word that comes to mind when I think of this year. It feels both comfortably familiar and excitingly new. I find myself looking twice in corners and peering under edges, searching for....something. I'm not sure what it is, but I have a feeling I'll know when I find it.

This semester, I'm gathering up the last of my gen-eds in preparation for entering the nursing program next fall. It seems simple enough, pretty routine, but between field hockey, outdoor adventures, and a group of new friends and mentors, I have no doubt that I will indeed grow.

Next semester, I will be in the Middle East on cross-cultural. It goes without saying that growth will happen there. New countries, new people, new food, new ideas, new problems, new views. I'm so ready to travel :)

I'm growing this year. I'm doing me. Because I deserve to know myself, and I want to know my place in the world.