My entire life, I’ve lived in a very small town. It’s always been the same people, the same stores, the same everything. Having a tight-knit family and an almost tighter-knit community, tradition and routine played a large role in our day-to-day lives. I’ve always had the desire to explore and see what the world had in store for me. This led to days on end of boredom and anxiety for the future while growing up, constantly wondering what was out there. But I knew that if I took what I had for granted, I’d never get the very moments I was living in that moment back, so I began twisting my perspective. I wanted to start living with the idea “I am so lucky to be alive” always in the forefront of my mind. Instead of dreading assignments or those small-town traditions we do every year, I began to think of how lucky I was to have those opportunities. The littlest things began to carry so much more meaning, and the way I viewed everything around me changed for the better.
Moving to college, it felt like it was the opportunity to explore outside of my normal and meet people that would help me learn new things and grow as a person. But it wasn’t as easy as I had anticipated. I was scared stepping outside of my bubble and overwhelmed by everything being thrown at me, but once I took a step back, I could see how exciting it was that I had all of these opportunities at my fingertips. A notable one being Her Campus. When joining my chapter, I was immediately welcomed into a group of girls that made me feel seen and reminded me that I wasn’t alone. I felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude and empowerment contributing to a group like that. The opportunity made me open my eyes and begin to love this new community just as much as my old one.
During one meeting, we did this bonding exercise called ‘Rose, Thorn, Bud’ where you share with the girls something good that happened, something bothering you and something that you’re excited about that week. Watching how welcoming and supportive the girls were to each other while sharing was truly beautiful. I thought this exercise was an amazing example of romanticizing your life, because looking at the worries and the joys in your life as one of the most beautiful creations, a flower, can allow you to see how small things really are and encourages you to just appreciate things and live in the moment.