Calling Home

If I had a dollar for every time someone has confessed their desire to go home to me this week , I would probably be able to at least restore all the dining dollars I've used this semester. For a lot of us it is the busiest time of the semester and spring break seems worlds away, BUT I'm here to tell you : you got this. So many people seem ashamed when they tell me they want to go home, they feel defeated and childish- but that couldn't be farther from the truth! Touching back at home base is not a point of weakness, or immature- for some of us its just what we need. So many people underestimate (or simply forget) the power of a mental break. It seems that all we do anymore is trudge through everyday, and push our limits in ways that are not always healthy. Of course, we can't just blow off assignments or deadlines at work , but in a society where we do so much "extra" we rarely stop to think "why am I doing this?", and we start to lose purpose. That is not to say that you should just up and quit whatever you can't immediately identify purpose in, but evaluating our day to day life and what we do is not always a bad idea- and for some people, it takes a trip home to touch ground again (and that's perfectly okay!). For example, this week my back has been acting up to a point where even sleeping (my favorite activity) is not so enjoyable all the time. For this entire semester I've just treated pain and pushed through because I love track, I love my teammates, and I love everyone back home who watched me and helped me, essentially, to become the person I am. I put on a stubborn face and push through rather than stepping back because I convince myself I have to. I convince myself that I would be a disappointment to my team, that I would be forgotten by people back home, and that I would probably get fat (okay maybe not, but I did eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's last night and yes, I do feel like I am what I ate which happened to be "Chunky Monkey" ) if I take a break to heal. Long story short, if I actually stood back and evaluated my situation I would see that my team will go on, my friends and teammates back home will not ignore me because I'm riding the struggle bus, and as for getting fat-I really just need to control my intake of peanut butter cups. All in all, health is priority! I forget, and I've seen an overwhelming number of others (friends and classmates alike) forget as well! Time off of  practice in my training season will not kill me just as wanting to go home, or needing to take some time for yourself will not make you any less of a person. At this point in the semester, year, and our lives we have to remember that "you can't pour from an empty cup". We put so much pressure on ourselves to help others, that we forget we are not invincible. When we realize we're not the next superhero, its overwhelming.  So don't be afraid to make that call home, take some time for yourself, or go to others for help. We can't always do life alone, especially if we've formed our lives and schedules for others rather than ourselves. So take a deep breath and a step back - you aren't alone. You can do this- I know and believe it wholeheartedly.  So lets keep communicating, because no one can know what you need if you don't ask. Lets be patient, because not every one deals with personal situations the same way.  Lets be confident because we are gonna kick ass in our last couple weeks before break and in life. Lets listen to others but, more importantly, ourselves and our body because we can't do anything 110% if we aren't feeling 110%  (so STAY HEALTHY...yes I am a hypocrite, I'm working on it). And lastly, Lets do this. 

Go forth and conquer! 

~A Duck Confidently (and Tiredly) Flapping her way through life 

Expecting the unexpected

Let me start with: I'm sorry friends, I know I skipped a week but it just goes to show that everything slips away from us every once in a while! The important thing is, we're alive and I promise I will not make a habit of skipping out on all y'all ! 

These past two weeks have been absolutely and utterly ridiculous, I can't even begin to describe them because I couldn't honestly tell you where the days started and ended... But needless to say, I ran into a lot of highs and lows, routine and spontanaeity, and just the plain unexpected. This week, for me, has been all about breaking comfort zones and accepting the fact that I cannot always dictate where life takes me. This means opening my mind and my heart to situations I wouldn't normally ! For example, over the summer I developed this crazy fear of falling ... Yet I found myself climbing our rock wall on campus on a whim one day, and starting to learn pole vault for the majority of the week. Did I magically get over my fear of falling? Of course not. Is my mind more open? Absolutely. Small steps don't necessarily move mountains, but they bring us that much closer to overcoming what we once thought to be impossible. Life can be full of unexpected twists and turns, ups and downs, tears and laughter -but without them I doubt we would truly know what life is. One of my good friends made a really great analogy and joke the other day.  She turned to me a said "Kat, Life is like an EEG, without the ups and downs , you're probably just dead". While a hilarious and dark analogy, it just goes to show - those low moments in our lives aren't so bad after all! Without them, would we know if our highs truly exist? So instead of just watching life throw curve balls at us, let's throw life a couple of curveballs ourselves-be proactive. Climb that Rockwall (even if you only make it halfway up before panicking). Stop ignoring your fears. It's time for us to know we are NOT invincible but we ARE unstoppable. Keeping an open mind is just the start of a life more beautiful than we could ever imagine- a life that should never again be clouded by a closed mind. 

Much love to all of you on this fine Valentines Day! 

A Duck Empowered