I’m currently sitting in the Boise
Airport, waiting to board my flight back towards Chicagoland and my final
semester at Notre Dame. As cliché as it sounds, I can’t quite believe that I’m
nearly finished. Wasn’t it just a few months ago that I was an anxious little
freshman who was traveling cross-country alone for the first time?? A lot has
happened since then and as unforgettable as it all seems, I’m afraid of
forgetting. Sooooo I’m adding “revive my blogging hobby” to my list of New Years’
Resolutions. I’ve never really made resolutions before but after reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin,
I was inspired to make goals towards NOT doing some things and doing other
things MORE OFTEN. I won’t bore you with the list, but my most specific goal is
to run the Holy Half Marathon. I’ve vaguely said that I’d do this for the past
2 years but something (a strained IT band, general laziness) has always gotten
in my way. But this year THERE’S NOT MUCH TIME and zero room for excuses. Luckily,
my classes can be on Cruise Control this semester and I plan to take advantage
of as many “That’s So College” opportunities as possible in the upcoming months
(I can already hear my mom telling me to make good choices ;)…)
During a recent interview I asked the
panel what they suggested that students do during the summer before beginning
med school. Expecting an answer involving the words research, internship or
shadowing, I was surprised by their answer. Unanimously and without
skipping a beat all three doctors agreed, “Have fun. Enjoy yourself. When else
will you get to do that??” Alright, great point. After spending several hours
over break stalking jobs, internships and other real things on the internet, this made me pause. Why do I feel the
need to justify every minute I spend? I tend to dwell on decisions, overthink
them and then wonder if I picked the right path. But you know what, sometimes
“why not?” is justification enough. Why not enjoy the last spark of childhood
before becoming an “adult”? Why not throw a few eggs, play in the sun, and be
carefree for a few months. If I can’t think of a good reason not to, I’d better
just do it.
On that note, off I go towards a final
semester at Catholic DisneyWorld with firm intentions to worry less, play more,
and walk away in May with no regrets.
