"These are whole-hearted people, living from this deep sense of worthiness.
These folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect.
They had the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others,
because, as it turns out, we can't practice compassion with other people if we can't treat ourselves kindly.
And the last was they had connection, and this was the hard part
as a result of authenticity, they were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they were"
//
My last semester of college starts in two weeks and what a journey it has been.
The nostalgia has opened my eyes to evaluate it all.
There's been lots of good and there's been lots of bad, but thankfully my regrets are few.
I wish I had loved the people in my life better.
I wish I had loved myself better.
But most of all I am filled with so much thanks.
Thankful for the people that have been put in my life
Thankful for learning that it's okay to not have it all figured out
Thankful for the grace I received among all of my mistakes
Thankful for all that I have learned about myself through those mistakes
and the thing is, there is not one wish or one regret that I have that has not taught me something.
Not loving the people in my life as well as I could have showed me how valuable it is to treasure your friends and your family and how terrible it is to push those people away.
Not loving myself showed me how important it is to be patient and gracious with yourself so that you can be patient and gracious to others, because without that it is a miserable existence.
I look forward to what this last semester holds and the fresh perspective that I have gained.
I look forward to staying in more nights.
I look forward to finding ways to show the people in my life how much they mean to me.
I look forward to finding the courage to be true to myself, to be authentic.
In the words of Brene Brown, I look forward to learning how to let go of who I think I should be to be who I am
And today, I am thankful for the regrets, for the lessons, and for the looking forward to's
Cheers to the New Year!