I feel like the past week has been full of coincidences...in two of my classes, I have speakers that present new material for us to consider and build on. My favorite two speakers have presented right after one another, and they were both dentists. Throughout the past year and a half, I've realized what I value in speakers (and in people in general.) I loved Dr. John Lane (who spoke at Forum Monday night) just as much as Kay Parker because they both opened up to the classroom about their life journey. As cliche as that may sound, I believe it's a lot harder to reveal your innermost struggles or the obstacles you've faced along the way rather than simply mask emotions and pretend your life has been picture-perfect. Picture-perfect people aren't relatable, and I've found that the more upfront and honest you can be with me, the more likely I am to listen to what you have to say.
The beginning of Dr. Lane's speech definitely hit home for me. He shared that he was talented at math and chemistry, so he naturally thought he would pursue a degree in chemical engineering, until he figured out that it wasn't what he wanted. As crazy as this sounds, I've considered picking degrees just because I thought I could do them...not because I loved them, or I had a passion for them..but simply because they were "esteemed" majors and it was possible. The most important thing Dr. Lane said is that "your life will lead you." Sometimes we don't end up exactly where we'd thought we'd be in life, but maybe my faith in God makes that easier to accept. I've hoped that my life would lead me to a major, and this week, it has. On Friday afternoon, I made the decision to change my major to Interdiscliplinary Studies: Social and Behavioral Sciences after MUCH consideration...and second-thoughts :) With this major, I'm thinking that grad school is definitely in the works, and I'm currently thinking about pursuing a job that involves counseling at some level..which leads me to Lilly!
If you saw me on Tuesday afternoon, you saw me giddily walking home from Kilby School, grasping the hand of an energetic kindergartener. The more time I spend with her, the more I realize that she is impacting my life too. This week, she counted to 40, with only a little help on the transition numbers (twenty, thirty, forty)..which was incredibly exciting. Seeing her and observing the noticeable change that I am making in her life is a constant encouragement and reassurance that I'm making a difference. Even if she didn't learn another number or letter with me, the confidence I see building within her is enough to make me proud.
Dr. Lane shared that buying things to "feel good" gives you a happiness that has an expiration date, and after you invest time or money on them, you realize that you could've done without them. I realize that there are plenty of things in my life I could live without...the stress, the silly frustrations, and the constant worrying about small details that never really surface. But in the midst of this madness, I realize that maybe this semester was meant for me to find myself. So far, I'm liking what I see.
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