cue the Shrek soundtrack

It’s funny how life seems to work in waves of turbulence.

How you can feel completely in control at one point, and find yourself flat on your face the next. I’ve learned over the past couple of months that life has a way of humbling you quickly and efficiently right when you start to loosen your grasp and arrogantly smirk at the onlooking animosity you left in your path.

This summer has been one of changes for me. It’s been full of ups and downs, and downs and ups, and ups, and more ups. Looking back, it all feels like a bit of a blur in the best way possible. In a way that I feel complete gratitude for.

It’s a weird feeling when the anticipation of change suddenly turns into a reality that is change — and so much of it all at once. And somehow, despite the inevitable knowledge that things will not always remain as they once were you are still left unprepared for everything thrown your way. And when your expectations are slightly unaligned with the occurrences you’re experiencing, the natural feeling can be one of unease, and this I can resonate with.

It’s hard to explain how hard growth is, in a way that expresses how thankful I feel for the struggles. When I say hard I mean hard in a way that challenges you personally, as well as those whose lives are entwined with your own. Growth is painful and beautiful, and I’m thankful for the time and space to work through what I needed to work through on my own, in my own way, at my own pace. This summer was full of an abundance of emotion, in every configuration you can imagine. There were times I felt so completely saturated in emotion that all I could do was sit and feel them. Each and every one.

This summer has been one of changes for me. And I am so thankful for all the things I have done, and the memories I have made, and the experiences I will take with me as I approach another time of transition. I am proud of the personal growth I have seen and felt, and the relationships I’ve strengthened as well as reestablished. The emotions I have acknowledged, befriended and sent on their way.

And most of all, I am thankful for the reminder that time is never at your disposal, so all you can do is be fully present wherever you are, and whoever you are with.

- A