One of things you learn in life when you do this for so long is that you miss out on a lot of small things. There are a ton of things I wish I could go back and experience. Things I would've noticed if I had not been trying to move through life so quickly.
I don't really know why I tried to rush through life. I guess I thought that the best way to experience something is to have it crammed down your throat.
This mentality is largely responsible for the situation I had put myself in at the start of this year. I was extremely focused on the future and getting out of school and getting on with life, so I would push through the days, not really stopping to actually take care things that I needed to take care of, like keeping up with my school work and spending time with my family. I largely spent my days consuming as much caffeine as possible, staying up as late as I could stand it, and wasting as much time as possible at places like CCs.
You can see where this is going. At the beginning of this year, my academic career was in shambles. I was basically forced to take a semester off because I lost financial aid. I sucked at school so badly that they wouldn't even loan me money. Ouch.
So at the beginning of this year, someone who I've grown very close to over the course of this year started to teach me something about living life one day at a time, and taking things slowly, not looking too far ahead.
The results were incredible. I just finished the fall 2009 semester last week and it turned out to be the best semester academically that I've ever had. I actually started focusing on the work it takes to get to the finish line, rather than concentrating so hard on that finish line and beyond. Its a mentality thats helped me in so many ways in my life.
Its not the only bizarre thing that has happened to me this year. Some other notes from 2009:
- I managed to hold a grand total of 2 jobs, sometimes at the same time. Last year, I was employed by different organizations (6 if you include NAMB)
- I kept a stable relationship. Never in a million years did I see that coming. Not at this point in life. She doesn't like it when I write about our relationship, but its here because it played a big part in making 2009 amazing overall.
- The Saints are undefeated as of this writing. Wow. Can you think of anything more crazier then that in the sports world? This team has a link to the culture here that is unmatched by any other team (except, maybe Green Bay. That town revolves around that team). I know this has nothing to do with my life specifically, but its an extremely significant event for someone living in this area, who grew up calling the Saints the 'Aints.
- There were some crippling aspects of my personal life that had been plaguing for several years, and now God has the victory.
- This fall I actually managed to spend more time with my family then I have in the past, and I came to value the time I spend with them more then I have in the past.
These are just a few of the notable events of the year for me. There are many more, but there is only so much I feel I can write in this space, and as of the typing of this paragraph, it is 2 AM.
If you get anything out of reading this, just remember how important it is to live life one day at a time. Don't miss out on what's sitting right in front of you. Enjoy the weekend and whats left of 2009. I won't say Merry Christmas because I expect to post again before then. I'm out.
