Me: "Hello, how are you doing today?"
Customer: "Oh, I'm hanging in there."
Me: "Yea, me too. But hey, tomorrow's Wednesday!"
Customer: "Well, that's how weeks work."
Where was I going with that?
"No, I don't want any chocolate."
That's always a lie.
"Potatoes are romantic."
Think about it.
'I'll blog today."
That happens a third of the time
"I can blog everyday, once a day."
Nope.
So, five days later I'm a few blog posts behind, but not short on being thankful. These past few days have been tumultuous and emotional but have only left me feeling more blessed than ever. My feet hurt, my back is sore, I'm behind on e-mails, my rooms is a mess, and my hamper looks like it's eating my messy room. But I've never been happier. I swear. I know I'm exactly where I need to be, doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing and that's a really great feeling. Taking a year off isn't as easy as I thought it would be for a lot of reasons, but mainly because it's exactly the opposite of a year off. It's a year of advanced learning. Like AP style, but more exciting because every day is an exam. Every day is a chance for me to move forward and learn more and become a greater percentage of the girl I'd like to see in the mirror one day. All of it is thrilling. I wake up with an energy and a sense of excitement about what might come my way next that I've never had before. I'm starting to like the idea of the ever-changing horizon that a year in the "real world" has given me. Sure, I have a work schedule and at some point I have to go to college but for now I have the chance to learn how to invest my time, mind, body, and money wisely, or if not that at least in ways that I want to-in ways that make me happy. I can't find the words to express how incredibly blessed I feel. This year the thing I'm perhaps most thankful for is deciding to take a gap year. It's a funny thing to feel lucky for something that isn't a privilege. Anyone can bypass higher education for a year or even more if they choose. Growing up and a lot of the time through high school I remember hearing "College, military, or burger flipper and you don't want to be a burger flipper" but I don't think that's true at all. Plenty of people are happy and successful burger flippers or mechanics or waitresses or doctors or whatever they decide to be. Maybe one day I'll end up with a great resume or a cruddy one, but whichever it is I'll be sure to be content with it. That's what I'm learning right now. I think it's positively silly for me to have been told the opposite and I'm glad I'm learning that now before I go off to pursue my own success story and I can't wait to see what that'll turn into. I'd recommend taking a gap year to anyone, even people who know what they want to do after high school. It's not easy but it's worth it. It's scary and lonely and frustrating, but it's a marvelous challenge and I love a good challenge. College will be a challenge in itself but this entire year it hasn't felt scary for a second this because by then I know I'll be ready for it.
Things Michelle Says:
Life is funny and hard and beautiful and I'm happy, finally. Thank God.
Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!