As another semester slips away, I find myself wishing that time could slow down but also go faster all at the same time. There are so many challenges that I wish I didn’t have to deal with, like managing my time or dedicating myself to studying. Ask anyone who knows me decently well and they’ll tell you that I need to get more sleep, and I can say that I haven’t been going to the gym nearly as much as I was in the first few weeks of the semester. My coffee consumption has probably overtaken my water consumption, and CR’s desserts are an unfortunately addicting source of quick energy. The textbook readings that I still need to do seem to be piling up, and my last round of exams looms ever closer. Even this blog post is overdue. (Sorry again, Hayley!) Despite the relative lack of order in my schedule, I still feel like I’m not doing enough — I don’t have enough to show for all of the work that I have done, and I could definitely be doing more. Everyone else seems to be managing their busy schedules, so why can’t I?

One thing I’ve learned, as I’ve gotten more involved on campus, made closer friends, and taken on a more rigorous academic schedule, is that you have to learn to love every moment, otherwise you’ll quickly burn out. There will be late nights and stressful exams, regrettable dessert choices and the jitters from that last cup of coffee. But there are also the good times, like when you finally cross that last assignment off in your planner and know that you can have the rest of the night to binge watch movies with your friends. The feeling of finally, finally understanding how to tackle those tough chemistry problems, the satisfaction of a good workout on a Saturday morning, the feeling that you’re a day closer to being the person you’ve always hoped to be… these are the things that I’ve come to realize that I have to focus on. Staring down an ever-growing list of things to do is daunting, sometimes even terrifying. But every little challenge that you overcome makes you stronger as a person. 

Particularly this semester, I’ve realized that I’m not the person that I used to be. I’ve grown in so many different ways since coming to UD, and if it weren’t for the good times and the bad times, I wouldn’t have made those personal gains. Along with my own growth, I’ve also reached out more to the people in my life for support. As High School Musical so eloquently put it, we’re all in this together. Everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses, and I’ve found that my friends and peers have built me up where I struggle, and I’ve done the same for them. For example, having several extroverted friends has pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me more comfortable with putting myself into new situations and meeting new people. There have been so many opportunities that I probably would’ve missed out on if it weren’t for that. If all I saw were the difficult times, how would I ever come to appreciate all of the good things that have come from those challenges? 

Image obtained from: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/5244024-happiness-can-be-found-even-in-the-darkest-of-time