Jumping In
"Be careful." Nowadays, the words haunt nearly every aspect of life. Leaving home. Adopting a pet. Even buying a different brand of shampoo or conditioner. No matter the type of risk being taken, fear seems to be its perpetual shadow.
I could lie and say the truth of this hit me as I watched my family walk out of my dorm room two days ago. As I sat on my bed, the newness of everything - being a sophomore, having a roommate, living on the other side of campus - suffocated me like a winter scarf. And California is blazing in the 90's right now!
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| All it truly is left of my own family! |
Really, though, it hit me a few weeks ago as I ran out the door to meet my favorite gal pals from high school. Usually, our dates were nondescript - restaurant lunches or Lord of the Rings marathons. We're just that cool. Except, this time, almost as statement of how we had all transformed after a year away at college, we were heading to the local trampoline park. Fun. Adventurous. And, as my parents reminded me, dangerous. Especially then, only a blink away from startingsophomore year.
I take care as a celiac, re-reading food labels and interrogating restaurant waiters like a spy in disguise. Caution nudges my actions as ateenage female in a society where staying out too late or dressing a certain way can justify a not-so-happy-ending. I even worry as a human being whose biology demands I constantlydefend what is mine.
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| We smile within the face of risk! |
As I watch my roommate talk on the phone to her family and listen to the sounds of fellow students moving in all around me, though, I'm ready to stop the worry and throw out the caution. I'm ready to jump in and enjoy whatever fallI may take, just as I did trampolining weeks ago with my friends. As we stepped barefoot on a never-ending floor of rubber, we flew and leaped - and while we looked pathetic compared to the flipping ninjas surrounding us, I can promise that we had just as much fun.
Last year, college was hard. The classes I could handle, sinking my teeth in a full-time 4.0. But my body broke, my spirit faltered and I faced the obstacles of every freshman compounded by celiac complications and the death of a grandparent days after my 18th birthday.
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| Grandpa with one in every of his proper loves! |
The fact is, though, I'm not going to let last year's challenges shade this year's experience. I'm stronger. I'm healthier. I'm happier. And, I'm going to jump into sophomore year at full speed.
I'm joining every club that sparks my fancy. Gardening. Aerobics and yoga. Spoken Word (a poetry club), and Homeless ministries. Even coed soccer in spring. Plus working on my school's literary magazine and possibly (hopefully!) as a school blogger. Plus 17 units of classes. Oh yes, my time will be full. In the best possible way.
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| Enjoying the autumn! |
It's easy to get trapped by caution. To fear getting tangles in your hair so much that your feet never leave the ground. As I prepare for classes starting Wednesday, though, and slowly gather the sticks to form my sophomore home, I'm loving the free fall. I can't wait to see where I land.
Do you are taking sufficient dangers in existence? What is your biggest piece of college advice? Comment under!
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