Notecards are meant to be a tool for studying. Their entire purpose is to help make one’s life simpler. However, I no longer see them as such. To me, notecards remind me of hours of research, of sitting at my desk with back pains from being hunched over for so long and numerous amounts of hand cramps. If someone would have asked me junior year what the worst part was, this would definitely be at the top of the list.
However, my motivation for working hard that fall semester was the fact that I would soon go off and have a great adventure in Colorado for the spring semester.
Attending the High Mountain Institute was all I could think about. I looked forward to branching out of my comfort zone and learning more about the world around me.
The two weeks before I left I focused on my project. I came up with project ideas, made a timeline for the next semester and interviewed about 5 people. Time moved so fast during those two weeks and part of me was thrilled. When the time came for me to leave Chinquapin, I was more than glad. All of those hours of work I did that semester and the stress added up. I needed some time to focus on me and not on academics.
The High Mountain Institute is a magical place. HMI taught me how to voice my opinions without shame, how to cook pizza in the middle of the desert and how to notice the good in my life. Along with those lessons, it also taught me that I am more than a letter grade. I learned to stop merely surviving and instead start living. This realization changed something within me. While I still devoted a lot of my time to my academics, I also began to take time to enjoy myself. I went for bike rides. I practiced my calligraphy. I spent hours sitting by the fireplace and talking to the girls in my cabin. I did more for myself in that semester than ever before.
This newfound love for life would help me more than I thought possible. When I returned to Chinquapin I was determined to do my best and do all things with passion. The desire to find joy in my work helped shape my Senior Project. Had I not learned to do so, I would have found myself with a different outcome. I would not have minded spending my time organizing a book drive, even if I hated every moment. Thanks to this period of growth I am able to present something I can be proud of. I can look back in five years and know that I spent my time working on something I loved doing.
Comments