So it's been a while since I've done this whole blog thing. In fact I think this page has sat inactive for over a year. It was easy to write blogs while abroad or about my travels- a public diary of highlights while experiencing the world. Glamorous, catchy, and fun. While this past year has definitely involved amazing experiences, travels, and events, I would rather not try to summarize a year in a highlight post. A year contains so much more than glamorous, catchy and fun- to any normal person it contains joys, hardships, confusion, struggles, laughter, surprise, and basically any descriptor you want to add. However, what I want to write about today is change. This post does not have a perfectly crafted message, and it may even seem to be rather random, however it reflects the complex feelings of a rather crazy time.
If one thing is certain about the past year or so, it is that change is most definitely in the air. I went from working as a full time student and part time marketing intern, leading a professional fraternity, participating in an incredible university ministry, and living in Colorado... to now living back home in California, most of my stuff being in boxes or suitcases being lugged about on my summer travels. My dad is retired, getting married, and taking care of my grandparents, and I am frantically applying and networking to get my first post-college job. To sum up, I went from a tightly controlled schedule, with a sense of establishment and connection to felling "up in the air" (no this is not a reference to the George Clooney movie). Don't get me wrong, this change is exciting. It's awesome being an official graduate, and taking some time to relax and travel. In just the past two months alone I've been to Europe, Vegas, Tahoe, and Orange County (sorry, I couldn't go an entire blog not making some reference to my trips). It's also exciting dreaming up the job possibilities in my field of marketing, if and when, something on my short-list pans out. I am stoked for everything in my dad's life as well. Friends are also moving on to exciting new things in their lives.
However, as all this is going on, I cant help but to reflect upon the amazing experiences of the past 4 years and the feeling of establishment I felt while in college. I miss that. Part of me wants that back. Establishment and connection are not things I feel to much right now. Instead, confusion and anticipation are on my mind. I am not writing this to sound negative or pessimistic. On the contrary I am blessed for the experiences and opportunities I have had, and know that I, along with my family and friends, are being watched over and guided by God. While I try not to be overly religious on social sites, I cannot hide the fact that I at least try to cling to the Promise of my faith. Even from a secular standpoint, I think all of us try to cling to the idea that things will work out in our lives, and that change can open some pretty awesome doors. Yet despite our faith in God or even our own ideas, I think most people struggle during these times. Change is often good and full of promise, but I would be naive to say that fear, anxiety, and confusion do not also play a role. There are plenty of biblical references to long periods of unknowing, struggle and confusion, but in the end a place of establishment and community are provided. We are lost but then we our found!
One of the things I love about traveling is the ease of seeing new places and meeting new people. It is the collection of new experiences, conversations, relationships, surroundings, cultures and even food that make life so worth living. Yet when we are on vacations, mission trips, or study abroad programs we tend to have the confidence that things will be normal back in our "real lives". Well at this point in time things are not "normal", there is no "return" date, and the next destination is unknown. I am nervous. I am anxious. Most of all though, I am excited to see where my "travels" are going to take me, even if they just lead me "home".
"Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you're going to get"-Forest Gump
If one thing is certain about the past year or so, it is that change is most definitely in the air. I went from working as a full time student and part time marketing intern, leading a professional fraternity, participating in an incredible university ministry, and living in Colorado... to now living back home in California, most of my stuff being in boxes or suitcases being lugged about on my summer travels. My dad is retired, getting married, and taking care of my grandparents, and I am frantically applying and networking to get my first post-college job. To sum up, I went from a tightly controlled schedule, with a sense of establishment and connection to felling "up in the air" (no this is not a reference to the George Clooney movie). Don't get me wrong, this change is exciting. It's awesome being an official graduate, and taking some time to relax and travel. In just the past two months alone I've been to Europe, Vegas, Tahoe, and Orange County (sorry, I couldn't go an entire blog not making some reference to my trips). It's also exciting dreaming up the job possibilities in my field of marketing, if and when, something on my short-list pans out. I am stoked for everything in my dad's life as well. Friends are also moving on to exciting new things in their lives.
However, as all this is going on, I cant help but to reflect upon the amazing experiences of the past 4 years and the feeling of establishment I felt while in college. I miss that. Part of me wants that back. Establishment and connection are not things I feel to much right now. Instead, confusion and anticipation are on my mind. I am not writing this to sound negative or pessimistic. On the contrary I am blessed for the experiences and opportunities I have had, and know that I, along with my family and friends, are being watched over and guided by God. While I try not to be overly religious on social sites, I cannot hide the fact that I at least try to cling to the Promise of my faith. Even from a secular standpoint, I think all of us try to cling to the idea that things will work out in our lives, and that change can open some pretty awesome doors. Yet despite our faith in God or even our own ideas, I think most people struggle during these times. Change is often good and full of promise, but I would be naive to say that fear, anxiety, and confusion do not also play a role. There are plenty of biblical references to long periods of unknowing, struggle and confusion, but in the end a place of establishment and community are provided. We are lost but then we our found!
One of the things I love about traveling is the ease of seeing new places and meeting new people. It is the collection of new experiences, conversations, relationships, surroundings, cultures and even food that make life so worth living. Yet when we are on vacations, mission trips, or study abroad programs we tend to have the confidence that things will be normal back in our "real lives". Well at this point in time things are not "normal", there is no "return" date, and the next destination is unknown. I am nervous. I am anxious. Most of all though, I am excited to see where my "travels" are going to take me, even if they just lead me "home".
"Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you're going to get"-Forest Gump
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