It’s so hard to believe that I started my blog one year ago this week! I thought this day would never come, and yet here it is.

I want to thank everyone who reads my posts each week and who has helped me along this journey. I wouldn’t be here celebrating this milestone without you, and you have shaped me more than you know.

This past year has led me along multiple paths I didn’t know I needed. They say that sometimes you need to be torn down to be built back up again, and I feel that’s exactly what happened. I’ve been through so much that I could probably be here forever telling every single story. I’m stronger and better than I used to be, and I continue to improve every day. There have been so many changes within a year.

Physically:

• I am in better shape than I’ve been in for maybe the entirety of my life so far
• I eat better (usually) than I used to
• I take care of myself in a better fashion

Mentally:

• I feel more prepared for college and life
• I have my priorities straightened out
• I plan so I don’t get overwhelmed

I work hard and take care of myself. Honestly, last week was so chaotic and stressful. But I planned and prepared for it. Do you want to know what I did on Saturday afternoon and Sunday (when I could finally relax)? I watched movies. I pulled a trilogy marathon and slept in until 12:30 because I was so run down that I needed sleep more than anything else. A year ago, I would have multiple breakdowns faced with a week like last week. This year, I think I only had one, and that was pretty minor. Honestly, mental breakdowns sometimes are necessary. If I get too overwhelmed or stressed, I’ll just break down and cry. Then, I usually find that afterwards, I’m a lot more motivated to get stuff done and the task load I have doesn’t seem so daunting. I probably couldn’t have told you that last year.

A year brings about growth. You live and you learn. If you go an entire year being the exact same person, then something is wrong. Learning, changing, adapting, and progressing are natural things of life.

Most of you know I love the Chicago Cubs. However, they only have a couple weeks left of being the reigning World Series Champions. They are not the same team they were last year (as evidenced by the way they played in the Postseason…), but that’s because it’s a new year. Now because the Cubs are not in the World Series this year, does that mean that all of a sudden, I’m rooting for either the Dodgers or the Astros? No. That’s not the kind of change I’m talking about. I still love the Cubs, and I’m upset they lost, but I’m continuing with my life.

I titled this post “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” for a reason. That’s usually a book given at a high school graduation (I have a copy of it), for good reason. If you let it, life can be an amazing journey that can take you places you never thought you’d go before. If you had asked me about two months before I graduated high school where I was going to college, I probably would not have told you Ball State. But now that I’m here, I couldn’t imagine going to college anywhere else. This is where I need to be, and this is where I want to be. If I had not gone to Ball State, I probably would not have applied for/ gotten an internship at the Indiana State Museum. If I had not had that internship, I might not have gotten the job that I have now. If I did not have the job I have now, I probably would not have said hello to the president of the university three times. I could give so many examples of what would not have happened if I hadn’t come here. I might not have had a musical theater roommate, I might never have met the friends I have, I might not have been in History Club and Vice President at that, I might never have gotten the nickname “Burr”, I might never have redone my bedroom this summer for $50, I might never have been able to be graded on a role playing game as a Cardinal of the Catholic Church or as the President of the French Art Academy, I might never…. I could go on and on. While all of these might not have been physical “places”, they’re “places” in the fact that they shaped and influenced my life. I joked in my Honors class on Monday that “Bonjour!” might very well become part of my daily vocabulary because we said it so much in the Art in Paris game.

Where will you be in a year? Your dream job, your dream school, getting a promotion you always wanted? Or will it take a turn for the worse? You’re not in control of everything that happens in your life, but you ARE in control of how you respond to the things that happen. How will you respond? What will be the places that you will go? What will be your new story to tell?

My challenge to you is this: do something new. Learn from it and grow. Don’t get caught in a rut. Find somewhere to broaden your horizons. Take a different class. Apply for that promotion. Cross items off your bucket list. Go somewhere you’ve always wanted to. Step outside your comfort zone. Once you do, you may find that you never want to go back. Where will be the places you go?