This Crazy Thing Called Life

Time for the annual What I Learned This Semester Post.

1// Sometimes good isn't good enough.

2// There are some things you can only find out the hard way.

3// Sky Harbor airport is the bomb.

4// Homesickness is incurable unless you go home. And it will only get worse until you do.

5// Crying in front of people isn't the worst thing in the world.

6// When you do come home crying and your friends go out and buy you a slice of raspberry pie and bring home cookies, it makes your heart feel better than you thought it could.

7// You have an impact on people whether you realize it or not. So try to realize it.

8// Home is where your heart is.

9// You can have a lot of different homes.

10// Train rides are just as wonderful as I thought they would be.

11// So was visiting St. Louis.

12// First-hand experience is the most important part of learning.

13// If you have a 4.0 GPA you might not get hired. Seriously, straight from an employers mouth (because we all know those people are not normal).

14// People have more kindness in their hearts than you might imagine.

15// Life hurts, man. More than you thought it would. Even if you asked for it.

16// My friends make my life here. The people I've spent this semester with were the brightest part. And I know this may seem like a given, but they truly make every day that much better.

17// It's not about how hard you're hit.  It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.

18// Rocky's inspirational speech is my go-to pump-up. Works every time.

19// Eventually, people will show their true colors. They will also show their love for you when you need it the most.

I think this semester has been more of a learning experience for me than any thus far. I grew a lot the first semester of college, and I learned a lot academically, but this was different.

This was less change, more experience.

I can't say that I have been changed or altered. In fact, I feel less like myself than I ever really have.

But I soaked up a lot.

And it's all swirling inside me now, waiting to be fashioned into I thinks and I feels and I knows.

I'm still working on that.

But the biggest thing I learned is that there's this crazy thing called life.

And sometimes, you just have to roll with the punches and trust that all the bits and pieces will somehow turn into something worth being proud of.