Why not?

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.