As you can see from my next most recent post, I’ve been pretty terrible about blogging this past year. Friends have told me that in order to get people to regularly read your blog, you’ve got to post at least every ten days. Well, failed at that. Furthermore, the only two posts I made while living in Charlottesville had nothing to do with Cville, or what was going on in my life.
The reason for my lack of online presence this year isn’t a lack of desire, or nothing going on that’s worth sharing. In fact, I’d say it’s the opposite. Big things have happened this year. I’ve gotten my feet wet in InterVarsity staff life. I’m engaged. I’ve learned so much about what who God is, and what my relationship with Him can look like. So many good and crazy things!
All of these things have been a process. I didn’t wake up one morning with a fully formed understanding of what it means to be on staff, or how to counsel a student through a parents’ divorce, or wrap my mind around the concept of me getting married. I didn’t have an epiphany moment for most of the things I learned. They were the results of conversations with friends, time talking and listening to God, reading helpful books, and experiencing life. They were all transitions. As I moved through each of these transitions, I often thought about how I would blog about an aspect, how I would explain to someone what I was going through, thinking about, learning. But my need to externally process all of these transitions makes blogging a little dangerous. So I kept it off the Internet, leading to radio silence on my blog. But as I reflect on the past year, I can’t help but want to share some of the things that have gone on. So here are some the transitions I’ve noticed in myself, both the silly and serious.
- It turns out I’m not as much of a football fan as I thought I was. This year I didn’t have cable, so I rarely even had the opportunity to watch games, and it turned out that I didn’t really miss it. Watching it on TV pales in comparison to being on the front row of the student section, preferably painted in light blue with 20 of your friends. The community camaraderie aspect was the reason why I devoted my Saturdays of undergrad to the sport. I know some of you Carolina fans are questioning my devotion to the heels at this point, and there’s no need for that: I am a Tar Heel born and bred. I just don’t love football.
- I now drink coffee all the time. I’m not addicted, but that’s becoming a semi-legitimate fear. I had it at least 3 times last week, and in planning this week I had to specifically plan days to NOT go work in a coffee shop.
- I’m going back to Carolina, and I’m happy about it. For the last decade I’ve been planning to move out of the area (as in to another part of the country, or possibly the world): first for college, then post college, then after my intern year. Yet here I am, heading back to Chapel Hill. And I am SO EXCITED. Excited to serve God by loving UNC students!
- I’m engaged. In some ways, this is really surprising. Well, sort of. It’s not at all shocking in light of my relationship with Logan – that is so clearly where God is calling us. It’s surprising in the sense of looking at where I was 15 months ago: if you had asked me then when I would get married, I would’ve said mid-twenties probably, and I definitely didn’t already know the guy. And yet here I am, ready and excited to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.
- I am always caught by surprise when I see people in UNC gear. I get comments from strangers literally every time I wear something Carolina in Charlottesville. It’s gotten to the point that even when I’m visiting NC (or now that I’ve moved) and everyone is wearing Carolina gear I still react before my brain catches up.
- My perspective on community has changed drastically. Like every graduate, the year after college has been strange and at times hard community-wise. The transition between seeing 100 friends every day without much effort is a far cry from this year. Once or twice I’d realize on a Sunday night that the only time I’d left my house only to go to church and get groceries. I’ve realized that community doesn’t happen unless I go out and seek it.
- My hair is now naturally curly. Its very strange. Don’t get me wrong, I like it a lot. But to a girl who grew up with straight hair, it’s a very strange thing to get used to. Now I have to shower in the morning, and relearn all my hair care routines. Curly haired friends, tips on how to take care of it/products that are good and don’t make my hair crunchy are greatly appreciated!
The transitions are far from over. I’m moving back to NC, moving into (what will be, come October) Logan & I’s apartment, starting a new role at a new campus, and getting married, all in the next six months. I’m sure that I’ll learn a lot more through these transitions, but this time I’ll be more diligent in writing.
This is a good post. You have guilted/motivated me to write an article I’ve been asked to write, and post on my own blog, and maybe submit something for another blog. Well done and thank you Emma Clark. Also, your note about the curly hair is pretty awesome/hilarious.
I must confess, I did not remember your blog. But I had the opportunity of hearing your external processing in our house, so I didn’t mind so much.
Google Reader NEVER forgets.