I hope you had an amazing, relaxing summer at home, or wherever it is that you spent time during the summer break. We’re going to take it back to grade school for this first blog post—What Happened in My Life This Summer.
First off, I never left Wesleyan! I was a Summer Conference Assistant through the Office of Campus Life. I learned so much and gained a lot of valuable experience, all while having a great time getting to know the college staff better in a more relaxed environment (minus a couple of hectic weeks!). Did anyone else stay on campus this summer for research or work-related activities? What was your experience like? Probably one full of self-growth, I’m sure!
Something else big happened this summer: my boyfriend of a year broke up with me. That was quite a blow, but God has done incredible things in my life since the breakup. Do I still miss him? No. I don’t. I don’t know if I really ever missed him, but I missed having that companionship. I missed having someone to talk to. Since we broke up in June, I have taken time to reflect. Some of it has been more painful than other parts, but the positives do outweigh the negatives. I have learned what guarding your heart really means. Your heart is the center of your thoughts, desires, and emotions, so protecting your thoughts, desires, and emotions is very important, and it definitely applies to more than relationships.
I learned that I am a skeptic romantic. I am romantic, but I have a hard time believing in the authenticity of someone else. I learned that I have the tendency to be “Mom,” and people don’t always want a mom around. I won’t bore you with the whole list of things. You get how the post-breakup healing process works.
But as I look back at the summer, I see the theme as “Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone.” This summer has been full of times where I have either willingly or coercively stepped out of my comfort zone. The results have been wonderful!
I used to think that, if I just waited around, opportunities would come—the right ones. I failed to realize the importance of putting myself out there. Letting myself be a little vulnerable, showing people what I have to offer, is a part of life. I can’t expect to ever move forward unless I make a start, a first step toward where I want to be. We should all be this fearless.
What did you do over summer break? In what ways have you stepped out of your comfort zone? Leave us a comment below, or tell us on our Facebook or Twitter page.