Life is a gift

Why do I love it here so much?
I love the sound of the train going by as I walk under the tracks, especially on a beautiful day.
I love the vibrancy of the city when it starts to warm up after winter. The smiles on people's faces as they walk by because it's finally not freezing for once.
I love going out to breakfast by myself and knowing that this is where I belong. This place has made me more confident and independent.
I love having my own space where I can express myself and feel at home. Making tea or coffee, lying on my couch, burning my candles, making some popcorn, and watching movies, tv, or netflix.
I love my volleyball teams and realizing that this is something I am good at and that makes me feel alive.
I love getting better at my job and starting to connect with coworkers more as well as students. I have a graduate degree, which is pretty awesome.
I love my beautiful, amazing friends who I can rely on to keep me company and be there for me in tough situations while my family is far away.

I'm still learning all the time and I make mistakes, and that is okay. I'm learning to be okay with that and to let go of regrets and guilt. I am learning to not compare myself with other people because as long as we are happy, each one of us is on the journey that is right for us.

Contentment

Today was such a beautiful day. A gift in the middle of winter. I made sure to walk to get groceries, divvy bike, and go for a run. Kitty and I even sat on my back deck. How have I been getting through winter? Lots of naps, my electric blanket, dinners with friends, and most of all, trip planning for Europe. We have places to stay and plane tickets. We still have things left to do, but the major stuff is nailed down. I know I'm going, but I honestly don't know if I'll believe it until I'm on the plane. I can't wait to experience new cultures and customs and languages. I can't wait to walk through places with so much history and see things I've only read about or seen in movies. This is why I've been babysitting almost every weekend. There is still money to save.

There are so many other things to look forward to in the coming weeks as well. Birthdays, events, plans with friends. I'm trying to continue to work on staying present. In yoga, one of my teachers is going over the 8 limbs of yoga. We are focusing now on the Niyamas, the things we can do to help come to terms with ourselves. The latest one we talked about was contentment, being happy in the moment. I get feelings of this pretty much every week. I am happy with where I am even as I continue to be excited for things to come. Get out and enjoy life!

Things I wish I'd learned in school

Things I've encountered in life that I wish I'd learned in school:

1. What different types of insurance mean and what all the insurance terminology means.
2. What to do if you have a car accident and all the scenarios that could occur.
3. How to search for an apartment in or out of state.
4. How to manage finances and create a budget.
5. How to save for retirement.
6. How to repair my car and change the oil.
7. How to do basic repairs around the house.
8. How to do taxes.
9. How to apply for financial aid for school.
10. How to manage credit cards and the importance of paying them off monthly.

I guess the reason your parents seem so smart is they learned a lot of these things through experience and then handed them down to their kids. The only problem is, half the time I wasn't listening. But thank you Mom and Dad. Hopefully some day I'll know just as much.