Stop and Smell the Roses

I am finished!! Grades are posted and I finished out the semester maintaining my 4.0.  Apparently, the 72 pages I wrote between Thanksgiving and December 7th were alright. I am thinking I should consider a career in writing, although few people are probably interested in the effects of bureaucracy on the country of India.  The more exciting fact is not only am I finished with this semester, I am half-way through my master’s degree. One year is officially D.O.N.E!

I wish I could say after one year I have a clear direction and know exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life and have figured out how to save the world and end poverty and human trafficking. Sadly, all I can really tell you is I can write about 8 pages an hour when I am under pressure, article abstracts are a gift from heaven, and reading your textbooks is overrated. I am no more sure of the future than I was a year ago and change my mind most weeks on what I want to do next. Ironically, I have become very much at peace with the unknown. I am learning the joy of living in the moment and being thankful for Christmas breaks and long weekends. I am learning how to be content right here right now. I am learning to take deep breaths and be thankful for the wonderful life I am living.

See, I have always been a “hurry up and get to the next stage” type of person. The destination has been the focus, not the journey and I would rarely stop to smell the roses. I was usually more frustrated about the “thorns” tearing up my skin and keeping me from running as fast as I would like to the next milestone. Eventually, I get there-wherever there is– a tangled mess and wait just long enough to stop bleeding and start the process all over again in pursuit of the next destination point. The past year, life has taught me the beauty in the journey. I have learned how wonderful life can be when you slow down and smell the roses. Although slowing down is a metaphor and not an actual picture of my life. Between juggling a full-time job, two master’s level classes, several volunteer opportunities, a relationship, and an avid workout schedule, slow is anything but descriptive of my life. The difference is I am not rushing to get anywhere. I am digging in and throwing in here. I am learning to be at peace with today. I am learning the value in not complaining and in viewing life as an endless array of opportunities to love and give. Oh, and I am learning how much of a nerd I truly am! No matter how much I may rant, I secretly love every minute of graduate school, of writing papers and skimming textbooks (because let’s be honest, who in their right mind really wants to read 200 pages on bureaucracy in India:) ).

Something amazing happens when you stop rushing to the next milestone.  You start to notice the colors around you and see how wonderful and vibrant life is right here right now.  You embrace the moment. And you do things like drive 14 hours to see your grandparents for a day. When you see life for what it is today, you are able to drink in the moments as they come and appreciate the fleeting minutes you have with those around you. Life becomes more about the people you share it with, the memories you make, and the experiences at hand.  No, it’s not a tropical island and some days I still miss my life over there, but that experience has made the rest of life so much richer and full.  And if I hadn’t moved back to Evansville, I would not have met the man of my dreams, found a church I love, and discovered how truly wonderful life can be when you dig in and invest where you live.

So take a minute and stop and smell the roses or a Christmas tree and remember the importance of today and the value of those around you.