Introducing myself as "Joy" instead of Laurene that first day, was refreshing. I couldn't call it reinventing myself because I had always been "Joy" growing up...but it was the name I was used to hearing only from my parents, family and closest friends. It must have been introducing myself as "Joy" to complete strangers that initiated a bold step out of my comfort zone and enabled me to shed some layers--exfoliating the shy, introverted goody-goody that had been known to my grade-school peers. Allowing these fresh faces, my dorm-mates, an ability [for them and myself] to begin discovering who I was in the raw. I was putting myself out there, and I quickly learned that turning complete strangers into acquaintances wasn't so hard to do.
In high school, and especially the summer following it, I set goals for myself...brainstorming upon activities I would want to potentially get involved with. Today, I realize that nearly all the accomplishments accrued during the past four years could have never been attributed to a list of prematurely-jotted "wants" and "to do"s. Things just happened...
Being away from home was accompanied by larger responsibilities, pressures, homesickness and the scarcity of financial assistance at my fingertips...I quickly learned that it was time to take care of myself...and equally important, time to pave a path I could look back on with gratitude.
And I am so thankful...to my family near and far, friends near and far and God who is always with me.
In the next month or so, I will begin compiling a list of happenings that I never thought would have occurred during my college experience...as a simple reminder that life cannot be predicted or planned out to a T. To keep me humble when I am at a high and give me hope when I am low.
I'll continue to challenge myself in the choices I make...
“Education is the path from cocky ignorance to miserable uncertainty.”
- Mark Twain
