The Lessons I've Learned This Year:

August

·      When you move into your college dorm, listen to the thoughts and ideas of your mother, they’re valuable and she really does know more than you

·      Sometimes working with a group of people, none of whom you know, can be a real blessing

·      Sweat sauce pizza is the death of me

·      Navigating through Boston on the T isn’t that bad

·      Going to a Red Sox game is always a good idea

·      Round Robin is actually a decent game if you have the right group of people

·      Sometimes having no one is the best way to find the people that will impact you the most

September

·      Play intermural sports, even if you and your entire team sucks and aren’t actually that clear on the rules

·      Ritz crackers and peanut butter is the best dorm food

·      Color dances are actually pretty sick

·      Getting your nose pierced hurts, don’t listen to anyone who says it doesn’t

·      Sometimes the hardest thing to do is the best thing to do and is the thing that will benefit you the most in the long run

·      Sometimes the things your friends say that hurt the most are the things they told you with the most love in their hearts

·      Moonlit worship nights by the water aren’t a cure all, but they are most definitely wonderful

·      There are some friendships that are worth the fight, and there are some that are not, knowing the difference is essential

·      There are few things better than reflective runs

·      Running a 5K with a friend is a great experience, especially when you beat your goal time

October

·      Portaging a canoe is not something my body was built for

·      There are several ways to make baked goods for a medical themed event

·      Dying hair is quite an experience, make sure to wear old clothes

·      The beach in October is a glorious experience and should be taken advantage of

·      Never stay on campus for quad break on the bet that you’d regret going home, it’s always worth the drive and if you don’t, Thanksgiving break will seem like eternities away

·      The Red Sox are the greatest baseball team of all time, and being in the greater Boston area when they win the World Series is an unforgettable experience

·      You’ll get used to not talking everyday to the people in your life you’ve had to move on from, but when the big things happen, it’ll always be hard to know you can’t share it with them

·      You’re never too old to throw together a last minute costume and go trick-or-treating

November

·      There is true value in family, it’s something I’ve taken for granted my whole life, but man is it important

·      Similarly, there is something nostalgic about going home again, where everything is the same but you

·      Dorm life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be

·      If you have something not so great to tell someone, don’t tell them on their birthday, even if you think it’s not that big of a deal

·      Surprising your mom for her 50^th birthday might be challenging, but it’s worth it

·      Do everything you can to serve your parents, because they’re given up so much to serve you all these years

·      Getting back on the ice after all this time will always be bittersweet, it will always make me feel an overwhelming sense of regret and it will always feel like I’m reopening a semi-healed wound

·      Don’t let your friend try and pop the keloid on your nose ring, it will not end well, I repeat, it will NOT end well

·      Never skip a birthday because circumstances aren’t perfect, rarely in life will everything be going right, so forget what isn’t good and enjoy what you have, like another year of wisdom under your belt

·      If you can go home for a week for Thanksgiving instead of just four or five days, do it, skipping class isn’t the end of the world and in the big picture it wont make much of a difference

·      When you’re first cousin is born on your birthday and your uncle asks you to be the Godmother you know you’re in for a lifetime of blessings

·      It is always the right choice when you decide to cut down your own Christmas tree

December

·      If you work hard enough you really can finish ten seasons of a television show in just 7 weeks, and you’ll also probably feel and overwhelming sense of regret

·      Final exams for fall semester always seem like the end of the world, but they’re nothing like final exams in the spring semester, so just stop complaining and get it done

·      The arbitrary time restraints you put on anything in life, including your own progress, are meaningless, and the sooner you realize this, the sooner you will be free from the constraints of time

·      Having a cry jar is not a sign of weakness, rather it represents the hardship you will one day overcome

·      Releasing said cry jar into the ocean with your best friend is a freeing experience, but don’t think it’s a cure all, the next day you might wake up crying again

·      When you do find yourself crying, be patient with yourself

·      When you don’t think you deserve this patience, you do, so just stop fighting it and give it to yourself

·      Tradition is important, but it’s not everything, deviations can be made from the plan and things can still turn out great

·      Sometimes your Christmas tree will loose all of its needles right on the living room floor, just laugh it off and go grab the vacuum

·      Some New Years Eve’s will be great, others wont, so if you cry yourself to sleep at 10:30pm, don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world

January

·      Some TV shows (like Friday Night Lights) are actually life giving

·      Skiing is freeing

·      There are some friends in life that no matter what has happened and no matter how much space has come between you, when you see them again it feels just like old times

·      Even when for months you thought you’d never move forward, one day you will and you’ll wonder why you ever thought you couldn’t

·      You will always find a friend group of people you love, often with the most unexpected people

·      You will go through spiritually dry spells, it’s important now more than ever to seek God anyways

·      Even rivals (Pats v. Bronco’s) can be friends with a Super Bowl on the line…until the Pat’s lose

·      Girls nights are the best nights

·      Bowling is actually way more fun than you probably think it is

·      Sometimes people will say things that just suck the air right out of your lungs, don’t worry, just keep breathing and the pain will fade

·      If you feel uneasy about something, make a change before it gets to be anything bigger, usually your gut is right, so trust it

February

·      Winter is the worst season, it just is, and it is also the longest season

·      But no matter how much you hate winter, midnight snow adventures are always a guaranteed good time

·      Igloos are real, and they’re pretty sweet

·      Road trip adventures with your best friend are the most fun, even if it’s for a less than fun reason

·      You can skip class to go on said road trip, and while you’re at it you might as well make a day of it by stopping to see your friends at their swim meet

·      Valentines day doesn’t have to be the worst holiday when you’re single, as long as you’ve got your biddies by your side

·      Transforming into a Smurf and then encountering a bunch of guys is awkward, but you’ll probably look back on those moments and laugh

·      Make sure you videotape anything that is as funny as that, because it’ll serve as entertainment for months to come

·      My car, Kevin, is a real trooper

March

·      Some things you thought you’d never forget will soon be impossible to remember, don’t always see this as a sign of weakness, but as a sign of strength

·      No matter how scared you are of doing something, and no matter how far out of your comfort zone it is, with the right group of people and God on your side you can do anything

·      We have a worldly definition of poverty, but our finite view is more impoverished than a lack of any material goods

·      I’m much stronger, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, than I ever thought

·      Rooftop debriefs with a Haitian sunset behind you are moments you must never let go of

·      Every now and again, stop what you’re doing, put your camera away, look around and take a mental snapshot

·      There is much more joy found in the most unlikely of places

·      Coming home from a mission trip is way harder than you could ever imagine, embrace the challenge, it’s a sign that you’re growing

·      Some people will treat your experience as a problem, and they’ll expect you to get over it, others will understand what you’re feeling and meet you where you’re at, cherish those people and allow them in

April

·      There will come a time when the dates that were once so important to you will slip by unnoticed, the first time this happens it’ll shake your world, but it’s just a sign that you’re moving forward, embrace it

·      Telling someone that you have feelings for them is scary, but it’s worth it

·      Even the messiest and most confusing situations can get messier and more confusing

·      Those friend groups you find might not last, so it’s better to not take them for granted while you have them, time and circumstance can always drive people apart

·      You’re never too old for an Easter basket

·      Your dad might ask a million questions and they might get overwhelmingly annoying, but he just does so because he loves you

·      It seems that professor like to pile on all the work in an effort to push students to their literal breaking points

·      A semi-amature group of soccer players can play together well enough to beat the best team in the league

·      Making a solo 15 minute presentation isn’t that bad, neither is a group presentation for 75 people, and neither is a reporting chapel presentation for an entire auditorium full of people

·      Sometimes the places you’ve once loved so much will become so stained with heartache, just appreciate what it once was, realize what it now is, and let it go

·      Trust your gut, it’s probably right

·      Even the right decision isn’t going to bring you peace right away

·      I’m not so sure I believe in life long friendships

·      When you can’t stand alone, your sisters in Christ will carry you

May

·      Even though you may find it to be a burden a lot of the time, you'll be really glad you led a spiritual life group, and you'll be really blessed by the girls who attended

·      The Hill Grill is always a joyous occasion

·      Get to know your RD

·      Some people will always fight to be your support

·      There is beauty in sisterhood

·      Beach bonfires are worth it, always

·      You can probably pack a lot quicker than you think

·      I never thought I’d feel this way, but I do, and it scares me

·      I will probably always miss having you in my life even though you’d think I wouldn’t after a year and a half

·      Rec-IM soccer is the best, especially when you have such a great team

·      Despite the system, Cairo Knows is the best team in the league

·      Also, Cairo really does know

·      When you pent up too much anger for too long, it will come out, and it wont be pretty

·      Having final presentations cancelled and going to Pinkberry is always a good idea

·      You can lock yourself in the library for 13 hours and not really be that productive…which is okay, as long as you have a friend

·      Fiesta’s on the Northshore are random

·      Reconciliation is burden lifting

·      No matter what, release the cry jar

·      Late night talks on the beach with someone important to you are beyond glorious and life giving

·      Grace is ABOUNDING

·      God works through you even when you don’t ask Him to, and especially when you don’t want Him to

·      Go out in the pouring down rain, don’t stay back out of your fear of looking ridiculous or the fact that it’ll mess up your hair

·      If you have the choice between a paint party and not a paint party, go with the paint party

·      Give people second chances, and third chances, and fourth chances, and fifty chances, if they mean enough to you, somehow you will find a way to forgive them

·      Don’t rush things, good things really do take time and if you push something that isn’t meant to be pushed, it’ll backfire in the long run

·      Don’t let studying for finals stop you from enjoying the last weekend and the first nice days with the people you love, when you look back, you’ll be glad of the memories you made

·      Seeing friends who you haven’t seen in nearly a year is tremendously enjoyable

·      It will never get easier to watch your best friends graduate

All in all, a lot can happen in a year, a lot of good, and a whole lot of bad, learn to accept what's thrown at you and pick yourself up day after day, this life isn't going to be easy and it isn't always going to be fun, but all of these years of pain will be worth it one day, someday

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