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Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness

February 02, 2009

This past month has allowed me to ease into the spring semester of my sophomore year quite gracefully. So much has changed since the fall. The waters of Lake Virginia still flow peacefully a dozen yards away from my window, the smell of freshly roasted coffee still permeates the air in Diane’s Café every morning, and the sound of chattering voices and excited laughter is still heard on Mills Lawn. However, it all seems so different to me. Since I last walked on campus, I had learned many tough lessons about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. I soon came to the realization that the outcome of the rest of my semester was now in my hands. I could choose to be downtrodden about the misfortunes that come with life, or I could suck it up and make this semester one for the history books. Luckily, I chose the latter.

For me, the semester was a blank book with pages to fill full of laughter, adventures and memories to last a lifetime. Not wanting to waste a minute of it, I immediately got to work. The first item on my list was to make sure that I actually took the time to enjoy my new semester. I had the good fortune of creating a schedule in which my Fridays are void of classes and work. Therefore, I developed a carpe diem resolution of having “Freedom Fridays,” in which I attempt to dedicate every Friday to a relaxing hobby or new activity such as painting at All Fired Up on Park Avenue, shopping at the outlet mall with my girls, or even spending a day by the lake reading superfluous celebrity magazines.

However, I couldn’t very well make all of these self-centered semester plans and not think about the happiness of the people around me. So as I was talking with my friend Amber, I realized that there was no other place I’d rather spend my Wednesday afternoon than at the Depugh Nursing Home with many of my Rollins peers. The student-run community service organization, JUMP (Join Us in Making Progress), was hosting a Bingo Party at the local nursing home, and it was an event not to be missed. I spent the afternoon sitting at a table full of very competitive women as we munched on Oreos and chips and waited for our winning numbers to be called. I sat next to a ninety year-old woman in a plum jacket and wearing a tiny grey chain bracelet. We spent the two hours staring intently at our bingo cards and making small talk about her son who had just visited her and then ended the afternoon with a hug and an exchange of smiles. It was a beautiful experience, and afterwards, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

From R-Journal 2

Photo: My family treated me to my favorite dessert for my birthday: a delicious cookie cake!

However, no Freedom Fridays or intense bingo games could compare with my 20th birthday dinner at the beginning of January. Excited to see everyone after a month apart, I invited many of my close friends to dinner at a local Italian restaurant. The long night was filled with excited conversations, bursts of laughter, and delicious food as we all gathered for the celebration. I must admit that I was touched at the sight of all my friends sitting around the table together. I couldn’t help but feel so blessed that I had such a brilliant and beautiful group of people to surround myself with every day and who had my back no matter what. I couldn’t believe anyone could be so lucky.

From R-Journal 2

Photo: My wonderful friends Aspen, Christopher, and Scott joined in the celebration at my birthday dinner.

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