Exhale the past. Inhale the future.
Woah! Hey it’s been a long time since I’ve come and given my thoughts to ya’ll. Let me just say that 2012 has been one awfully long ride that has seemingly been two years thrown into one. I began off this year in an emotional bind in which I had lost myself. I was unaware to this fact but slowly I began to find myself. This was a journey I wouldn’t have been able to do without help from new friends acquired and old friends and flames equally involved. After all of the lies and hiding I realized I couldn’t stop from being myself for another year longer and found the courage to leave the situation and find myself. Once spring break began I was free to be myself and now came the start of rediscovering who I was. It wasn’t an easy thing to do. Bridges had been burned and I wasn’t sure how to handle being on my own again. I finished out my semester strong and made it to the finish line as graduation approached in May. With an associate’s degree under my belt and a college acceptance awaiting me I began my summer of sleeping in and preparing to move out. By the end of June my 18th birthday was near and without the help and support of my friends I wouldn’t have had the ability to celebrate it in such a fantastic fashion. With a girls’ dinner and a house party I believe we all thoroughly partied ourselves out. A week after that I found myself on a plane and heading back into the city of my dreams and hopefully my future. New York City was welcoming and never slowed down from the moment I stepped foot in the concrete jungle. A trip around New York University and multiple walks exploring every inch of the city took us through an amazing week. Topped off with 4th of July fireworks and a Demi Lovato concert, I couldn’t have asked for a better trip. Fast forward a few months and I was faced with the fact that I was growing up and had to move myself into the dorms at the University of Tampa. The fact that I was on my own didn’t hit me right away but it certainly began to and it hit hard. It helped being close to home but something was always missing. However, I met some of the greatest people in my life today thanks to UT. My next step out of my comfort zone came when I rushed a sorority. Talk about a whole lot of estrogen. Three days of non stop talking to hundreds of girls which took sometimes five or more hours to get through. It was certainly exhausting but at the end of those three days when the bid cards came, it became the most rewarding thing I could have done. While it is still a challenge to break out of my “anti-social” shell and to actually meet all of the girls in Alpha Chi Omega Gamma Pi chapter, I wouldn’t change my choice to rush in a million years. Through the ups and downs of life I know that I have sisters behind me to support me and that’s something that you can’t find elsewhere. The end of this year has seen me through laughter and tears, partying until 4 am and sleeping until after 1, plenty of mental breakdowns and struggles but one thing is for sure, I wouldn’t change a thing. 2013 ensures plenty of changes ahead. Moving into an apartment, continuing my education, participating in sorority events, and plenty more that cannot be discussed now all while finding myself. Life isn’t easy and there is no time for excuses. But one thing is for sure, no one is perfect and mistakes will be made, yet, as long as we remember to “exhale the past” and “inhale the future” we will make it through the challenges life throws at us.
