Over the last few years, my life has taken some dramatic turns. Never mind all the sordid details, but enough to say, I had my heart broken, I left friends & family in England to move to Ohio to start school, and my father happened to pass away unexpectedly a few short days before I had been due to move. I delayed my 'migration plans' for a few months, and then made the leap across the Atlantic. While I thought I was coping, several other dramatic circumstances pushed me to the limit of my coping skills. Those who witnessed my distress at the time may even say I was beyond my coping skills. With the love and support of a couple wise & mature women in a minuscule town called Cedarville, I began to grapple my way back to sanity. Despite all that was going on, I had maintained an above average GPA and made a good impression with my professors who saw that I was eager to apply the textbook lessons to my own life and learn important lessons - such us never giving up HOPE, learning the critical importance of knowing when to ask for help, being willing to engage in complicated and philosophical discussions and working towards a physically and mentally 'healthy' lifestyle.
After an exhausting three, maybe four years, this past summer I found myself unexpectedly jobless and emotionally drained. I had signed up for a class through my university which was an option for completing a "required class" for all students, and it involved travelling around the Western United States, learning about Geology. A similar option was to go to Hawaii and many more students opted to take that class or an online option...there were a mere five of us students and one professor on this journey. We met in Salt Lake City, Utah in early May and for two weeks traveled to points of interest and along roadways of interest. We hiked insane trails and meandered through wilderness, snow-capped mountains and calderas. Our trip took us from Utah, through Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana and Idaho. We visited famous landmarks such as Dinosaur National Park, The Rocky Mountains, The Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park and Antelope Island (we saw approximately 30 different major sites but I'm not going to list them all now!) As we journeyed, I began to appreciate what the "First Nations" (aka American Indians) treasure so much about the land. After hiking for 3 hours on a mountain side that feels like a 90 degree verticle angle, you begin to shed the mental burdens you had been carrying for months. Your physical exhaustion, brings emotions that were deeply suppressed, right back up to the surface where you have to deal with them. This trip was a test of my stamina (having never done serious hiking before), and I came out of it mentally refreshed and recalling my place in the world - a steward, a small piece in a cosmic story, and a dearly loved child of God.
Returning from this trip, I met with some ladies who had been supporting me since I moved to Ohio - they encouraged me even more. While some tough decisions needed to be made about how I was going to prioritize things in my life, I found that I had rediscovered my humor (something I inherited from my Dad, it's distinctly witty and often warped), and my appreciation for the small, little, random things in life. Like a tiny yellow flower that springs up next to my doorstep amid the thousands of weeds that have taken over our apartment complex. (reminding me to persevere, to hold fast to my beliefs and to resist being overwhelmed).
A few weeks before the end of summer I had an amazing opportunity to visit my brother & sister-in-law in Michigan, who let me blend into their lives for 10 days and enjoy simple pleasures, such as playing with their border collie, trying out various 'international' foods, trying out classes at the gym my sister-in-law just got membership to, walking around a lake near where my brother played soccer. Simple pleasures and a lot of relaxing and just being family. They took some time out to help and advise me on some issues (you know, the whole 'being a broke student and wanting to live like a millionaire' thing), and I left their home feeling excited and ready for school and the adventures that awaited me.
In the last two weeks since getting back to Cedarville, things have quite literally moved faster than I could keep track of. I ended up having two jobs and have started both. One demands my experience in Human Resources, in Training and in Barista work at a local coffee shop - the other demands my experience in networking, marketing and use of social media for a Personal Fitness Instructor and Web-Marketing Professional who's businesses are taking off at the speed of light. This week I realized how much I appreciate both my jobs (despite the irony that I'm working for one boss who supplies fat & calories, and the other who likes to burn those up! --they do know each other too!), while I'm tired and still adjusting to the demands of both roles, I know that I've done my best for them and I'm loving seeing the potential in both businesses and how I might be able to help them in the months ahead. I've thoroughly enjoyed using skills I established in years gone by, and being challenged to develop new (and updated) skills to benefit my bosses.
As the summer comes to an end, and classes begin on Wednesday, I can't help thinking what an awesome summer I have had. There have been tough moments, and tiring moments, but I have had people invest in me, use my skills, trust me, ask me to help them, depend on me, encourage me, motivate me, teach me and love me. I needed this summer - I feel like I'm back. After a few years of mayhem, the 'me' that I know, who God has known, is back and is growing, maturing and learning. It feels very very good.
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