Resilience

You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then – to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the thing for you. - T.H. White

I've learned a lot this year about how much a person can take before she breaks. I've learned to make compromises and to make the best of situations. I've been able to figure out what is most important to me and hows to get what I want. From me experiences this year I've learned a few things:

I'm not alone

I have friends who are also facing their own challenges. I can be there for them and they, in return, are there for me. It's times like these when you learn who your real friends are. Hundreds of miles separate us, but we're always a phone call away.


The connections I made in HESA will last a lifetime

My wonderful coworkers continue to shower me with love and support. I've never talked on the phone so much as I have this summer. The now second-years have really grown over their summer internships. It's so nice to see them on a path similar to mine. It allows me to brief them on what's ahead. I love and miss them, but I'm so proud of the progress they've made!


You can always go home

There's nothing like old friends. These girls have known me for years and years. They know my family, my story, and who I was before I went to school. I'm so lucky to have such a strong home base; I'll always feel at home when I'm with these women.


Hindsight is 20/20. It's easy to look back now and see how much I've grown over this past year. Although I didn't know it then, my support systems really helped me. My resilience has come in the form of getting to know myself and bettering my relationships with people who really matter.

More perspective

Last night, I was fortunate enough to celebrate my 23rd birthday with six fabulous friends from Connecticut. I'm so lucky to have such wonderful women in my life, and they proved yet again how much I mean to them. Going to the casino is not inexpensive, and everyone looked their best. Everyone gave up a Saturday night and Sunday morning, and didn't complain at all. The best, however, is the emotional support they provided me. They're all privy to my personal experiences and struggles, and really rallied around me last night. They did their best to separate my past from my present and I'm so grateful! I may only see them every few weeks or months, but these are real friends!

Everyone needs a little recognition

Today is the 12th day in a row that the Residential Life staff has worked a full day. Morale is low, tensions are high, and we all just really need the weekend. In these past weeks that have seemed so hectic and crazy, the bright spot for us has been the IT team. No matter what we're tasked with, the IT ladies always have our backs. Banner issues which seem monumental to me are old hat to Deb and Donna. They've fixed my errors over and over, and have educated me on how to avoid mistakes. This week, we had to send out an 800+ person mailing and it seemed we were going to have to type out roommate information by hand. Again, Deb and Donna came to our rescue!

The created a program in Banner which would match all roommate information. All we had to do was print out the 800+ sheets and stuff envelopes! This saved us days of work and countless headaches.

To show Deb and Donna our appreciation, I went out today and bought flowers. Lisa, Ruvi, and I hand delivered them today. The women were so grateful! It put our entire week in perspective: Although we're stressed and tired because people are putting tons of pressure on us, we're putting tons of pressure on Deb and Donna. For the dozens of times we're called them, how many times have we adequetly thanked them? It was wonderful to let these women know that they're appreciated and valued, even if it's just by the Residential Life team.

Reflection

After a period of near constant complaining, I feel like I need to do something to remind myself that the world is not ending. The following is a list of things for which I'm thankful:

New Friends!

I've said it before, but these women are awesome! I've never been in a work environment where I felt instantly supported and had people who would go out on a limb for me. Although this isn't a fabulous photo, here are my ladies! We went out for Ruvi's birthday and were able to relax for an evening.

Old Friends!

I've been able to keep in touch with so many wonderful HESA friends on a regular basis. I can appreciate that they'll have much less time during their academic year, but there's something to be said for people who can get me on the phone for over 15 minutes. We may be in different parts of the country and our lives, but we're the same at the core.

This Manicure
*see previous post for awesome nail details*
My nails are still going strong! Strong enough, in fact, that I was able to puncture the film of a Lean Cuisine with my nail when I didn't have a knife. Ruby Nails is totally worth the extra money.

Oldest Friends

I was able to grab dinner this week with one of my UConn friends. It was so nice to sit down with someone who knows me since the beginning of my college journey. We can point out how much each other has grown, and it's wonderful to have a reminder that there is a life outside of Student Affairs. Also, I'll use any excuse to eat the chocolate fondue at Melting Pot!

Good Country Music

Is there anything that can't be fixed by driving with the windows down listening to Chris Young? Right now, there isn't. Happiness, heartache, relaxing, friendship: I can always find a country song to reflect my mood.