Yesterday I had coffee with one of my close friends. One of those friends that you spend an hour with and it makes up for that year and a half you haven’t seen them (and honestly, forgot that it had been so long).

Anyway, she was talking about how her life was on hold until grad school: gyms, work, apartment etc.

She was putting her life on hold like I had been putting mine on hold until I figured out where I was headed. Like I had been putting mine on hold for the last two years.

The last two years have been such a struggle. I have been humbled immensely by my current occupation and living arrangements. This isn’t where I thought I would be right now and so I was waiting, waiting to start my life until those things came into place.

But two weeks ago I joined a gym. I joined a gym and made plans to run a half marathon. I joined a gym, made plans to run a half marathon and broke things off with someone that I should have dated because he was perfect, but chose not to because he was not perfect for me.

I took control of my life again.

Hey LR/IM, how about you have some fun before you start school and regret not enjoying all this free time a little more?

Then I went to an Italian speakers meet up where I met new people. I also emailed to see if I could volunteer with this program on the Westside. In between those things, I have bought tickets for a panel that I am so looking forward to, threw down for an amazing four-course dinner, finished up what I needed to for Fall admission next year, spent time with my family, exercised and signed up to be apart of a flash mob!

I began to make a serious commitment to the things that I really value in life. New challenges, new experiences, things that I feel would make my life richer and instead of waiting for that perfect time, I did them.

For so long, the two major components of my life have been things that I have been insecure about. But you know what is interesting? As I fill my life with all these other things: the gym, Italian, volunteer work, those other things? those other big things? shrink. Because my life becomes about so much more than those two things.

Instead of my life being about work and home, my life is now about exercising, half marathons, cooking, reading, speaking Italian, meeting up with friends more often, Mindshares, Art Walks, First Fridays, flash mobs, grad school, crossing things off my Life List and sososo much more.

There is much to be said about actively participating in your own life.

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