Post-grad revelations

• Life is so much more enjoyable when you take the time to just breathe.
• I don't have to be in full control of everything.
• I really was overwhelmed beyond belief last year and should have given a few things up.
• By the end, I really wasn't enjoying all of my activities as much as I told people I was.
• Yoga is amazing.
• Thinking is good. Doing is better.
• Sleep is very important. You miss more by not getting enough sleep and lacking energy than you do by being asleep at a reasonable hour.
• Spin classes are amazing.
• Tea is delicious.
• My favorite memories from college involve fun people and spontaneous adventures. My least favorite memories involve stressing over making everything fit in my schedule. It takes effort to remember working on homework, writing papers, or studying.
• Other good college memories involve the classes I was prepared and well-rested for, and therefore able to participate in fully.
• I was sad to leave high school and then found college to be 100 times better. I was sad to leave college and find the "real world" even better than that. The lesson? Always be excited about life and changes and new steps.
• It's not that hard to override negative thoughts with positive ones.
• Doing dishes isn't that bad of a chore.
• It really does pay to have a work-out buddy.
• There's a lot of really great music out there. It is not found on KDWB or B96.
• I really like spending time with my sister... usually.
• It's hard to see my sister as an adult, even though I know it drives me nuts when people don't see me as an adult.
• Fall is the best season.
• Apple butter is delicious. So are pumpkin lattes.
• The reason people don't care about stupid little things is that they are stupid little things.
• It doesn't take that long to think before you complain.
• You will never be able to appreciate any kind of progress you make if you're comparing yourself to others. The only comparisons you should make are against yourself, and you should always be striving to better yourself.
• "Look skinnier" is not a valid life goal. Eat healthier, sleep better, breathe deeper, smile more often, take pride in the things you do to take care of yourself... these are much better goals.
• Always expect unexpected costs to pop up.
• Being busy all the time does not mean you are living life to its fullest.

I thought graduation would hit me during senior week. Then I thought it would happen at the graduation ceremony or as we moved our stuff out of the village. When that didn't happen, I thought it would hit me over the summer. Then I figured it would for sure hit me when everyone else moved back to SMU without us. Finally, I thought it would hit me when I returned campus to visit. I thought I would feel really sad and really wish I could go back.

I didn't. It was nice to go back for a bit and see people, and it was interesting to see some of the changes since we left in May. I wasn't sad though. Not at all. I didn't feel a pang of jealousy for everyone who's still in college, as I had expected. I didn't find myself wishing I were still involved in the different clubs and activities that ran my life.

I didn't feel like an outsider either. That was surprising too. I figured if I didn't feel like I should still be a student that I would feel like an outsider, a visitor. That wasn't the case though. I still feel like a part of the SMU family, but I'm still more than happy to be done with the student part. I'm happy to not have to worry about homework and studying and making it to class. I'm happy to not have to worry about balancing my responsibilities in my activities with my social life and running schedule. I'm happy that my extra activites now are basically things I want to do, and for most of them, I don't have to go if I don't want to... which just makes it easier to want to be there.

This whole transition from college life to the "real world" has been so much easier than I ever expected. :)