An Update on My Life

     This blog is a letter to all my readers. Unfortunately, I am going to be taking a break from this blog for a while. I appreciate all of your support and encouragement so much - you have made me feel so loved and blessed. So in this post, I'm just going to give you some insight into my life.
     This semester, I thought I'd have time to go to the gym, start a bible study, go to extra Christian clubs, make new friends, join some fun organizations, and get a job. Silly me. This is the thing - you know, the thing that I always do. I take on too much. It's probably the biggest obstacle I face in my spiritual life and mental health.
     I started off the semester with only 13 credits, which is why I thought I could take on more. These included two psychology classes, an honors seminar, and a literature class. The Honors Seminar allows me to serve on the board of the James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal, which is very exciting. The literature class is also very exciting and fun, as it surveys American heroes from The Last of the Mohicans to Brer Rabbit to Superman. However, at the last moment, I was allowed into a Grant-Writing class I had applied to get into, and I enrolled in it. This brought me up to 16 credits.
    Finally, this week, something wonderful happened, which brought me up to 18 credits (which is a lot). Getting into research in the psychology program here is very difficult, yet somehow, I convinced someone to take me on in their research, which will enable me to finish the honors program and graduate on time (both of which my adviser said I would not be able to do). It was a long shot, and I fully expected to be rejected when I walked into the man's office, but I left feeling elated with the wonderful new opportunity he offered me. We will be doing research on the stigma attached to mental health issues, which is exactly the area in which I wanted to get involved. It's also perfect because he will be on sabbatical the semester I hope to study abroad at St. Andrews (3rd best psychology school in the world, founded in Scotland the 1400s, and the college of William and Kate) this fall! In addition, he will help me as I apply for the Hillcrest Scholarship, which gives students the opportunity to have an amazing off-campus research experience the summer following their junior year. I now expect to graduate in Spring 2017 with a psychology BA, a nonprofit studies minor, an area of emphasis in Creative Expression, and with Honors. God has really guided me through my time here, and I am so excited to see what He has in store for me. All this was orchestrated by Him, and I am blown away by His goodness, grace, and care for me.
     All this is shaping up to an exciting undergraduate career, and I do not know how I got so lucky! Because there are all such rare and amazing opportunities, I am going to take on the crazy semester academically, while protecting my mental health by cutting out other activities. I have learned, over the years, that I must maintain balance, and for me, that means taking time to recharge and having alone time. Even blog writing is an outpouring of myself, and though it helps me organize my thoughts and grow, it will become something I don't enjoy if it creates stress. Along with this blog, I will be dropping all the other things I anticipated for this semester. This isn't because I'm getting sucked into schoolwork, but rather, because I anticipate a lot of schoolwork, and I want to make time for play.
     So outside of schoolwork, what will my life look like? Well, I won't be doing the typical college-age party thing. I think that some parties can be a good atmosphere for some people, but they're just stressful to me. I like to vedge. I like to drink coffee and watch classic movies. I plan to watch Doctor Who and pin an obscene amount of pins on Pinterest.  And actually, I enjoy doing schoolwork. I seek out time to shop by myself on Sundays after church, and going to Cookout with my friends is always a highlight. I hope to take naps in the afternoons and spend time with the people who overwhelm me daily with their love, loyalty, and affection. I know I will continue to revel in the wonderful life God has given me.

   So, I will return to this blog, hopefully in a few months, because I didn't get to do nearly as much as I wanted to with it. I like to write because it organizes my thoughts and helps me develop my feelings about what I write. It is cathartic, and it is a way to express the love I have in my heart. It's also a way to bravely show the world the good and bad of what's inside, which I think is an important encouragement. I intentionally write about things I care about. Ernest Hemingway said, "Write hard and clear about what hurts," and that is my writing philosophy. I want people to know that I'm not perfect and that I struggle and that in my own strength, I am not okay. I also want people to know that  God has made me whole and that I live a joyful life of one who delights in God's goodness. I might occasionally write a post or two over the next few months, and I hope that you will still be interested in reading them as they come! Thank you all for your love and support.