A Winter Without Spring Break
A Winter Without Spring Break

The saddest I’ve felt since graduating is realizing I have no more set spring break. No more specifically set aside time to rush home from that last, ever-so-eternal-seeming class before freedom. No more frantic packing and driving all night to Florida and watching the sun come up over the Atlantic. If I wanted a spring break now, I would have to make it for myself, and that thought was daunting. How am I supposed to get through a spring breakless winter? Summer is too far off, too unreachable, so in the meantime, I’ve tried to do a few small things on my days off from work to beat back that winter idleness.

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Life, Travel, HealthAnna SpleanFeaturedComment
On Texting and Relationships
On Texting and Relationships

Nevertheless, I miss the days when people walked along the street talking to each other instead of texting people they are not even with at that moment. I also get annoyed when people text me 10 questions although we are about to meet up anyways.

The other day, one of my friends broke up with her boyfriend (she actually went to his house). Soon after she had gone home, he sent her four longer-than-long text messages saying how sorry he was, that he was caught off guard and did not know what to say when she was there and that he will most certainly fight for her and prioritize her in his life AND show his love on Facebook and Instagram. How cute.

Has technology turned us into cowards that want to save face by addressing problems via cell phones? Or is it just laziness? Why drive 150 miles to break up with somebody when texting is free?

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RelationshipsViviane SchmidtComment
A Tough Love Letter: Valentine's Day Edition
A Tough Love Letter: Valentine's Day Edition

This is a season in your life where you happen to be on your own. You won’t always be. Or maybe you will. Nothing is certain. Ha. Anyway, sourcing your worth or happiness in another human being—by nature, prone-to-error—will leave you disappointed. That isn’t to say that loving and caring for someone isn’t a beautiful thing, but even once you find that person, I think it’s healthy to know just how okay you’d be without them. Choosing to commit to someone, but not necessarily needing them—there are few things more attractive than that. That’s also one way to maintain longevity.  

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RelationshipsLane SasserFeaturedComment
To the Girl Who is Single on Valentine's Day
To the Girl Who is Single on Valentine's Day

To the girl who is single on Valentine’s Day,  

You are not alone. I know that feeling that hurts deep down in your stomach from seeing all of the cute dates people post about on social media. Or the rage of envy that consumes you when a friend tells you about the date her boyfriend took her on. Not to mention the feeling of being done with everything (go ahead and buy me a gallon of Blue Bell because I don’t care if I get fat anymore) when you see all of the engagements that are bound to pop up. But know this: you are not alone. There’s me, there’s thousands and thousands of girls feeling this same influx of feelings.

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RelationshipsKaitlyn BundrickFeaturedComment
The Year of No
The Year of No

Shonda Rhimes wrote a book called The Year of Yes and while she is my spirit animal, and I agree with the motivation behind the book, I want 2016 to be my year of no.

Why, you ask? Because I've always said yes. To everything that I don't want to say yes to, I've said yes. I have done so much damage to myself from saying yes to appease everyone in my life that it actually feels good to say no.

In early December I had a series of interviews for a job I didn't actually want; I just wanted a full time job. When it got to the point where they wanted me to talk to the HR department, I said no. The job wasn't a good fit for me, and I didn't want to put myself in a position where I'd have to move and not know anyone and be miserable at a job that wasn't right for me. I am not opposed to moving to the other side of the country - heck I'm not opposed to moving out of the country - but for a job that wasn't going to be a good fit for me? It wouldn't be worth it.

Saying no felt great.

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Career, Life, RelationshipsJackie MundryComment
The Lessons of Living in Community
The Lessons of Living in Community

Since August I’ve been living in intentional community with five other individuals. Through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps we were all placed in various schools and agencies across Tucson, AZ. We are provided a communal budget each month for rent, utilities, food and personal stipends. We do almost everything together; eat dinner at the table nearly every night, ride our bikes to the grocery store, attend street fairs and play vicious games of UNO. 

When applying to this program I thought I was this incredibly self-aware individual who might potentially be able to grow from this experience. I knew myself and was sure of what I wanted. I also knew I didn't need others to be happy. I could do that all by myself, thank you very much. Needing others was a sign of weakness. It made you vulnerable. But the more time I spend in this house, the more I’ve realized it is okay to be needy.

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Life, RelationshipsOlivia LandryFeaturedComment
Make Believe
Make Believe

I was recently babysitting a 7 year-old girl and her two older brothers. While her brothers played video games (which in my tomboy heart I secretly wanted to play instead), we played everything from doll house, hide-and-seek to beauty salon.

I fondly remember all throughout my childhood the majority of playing I did by myself and with my friends was playing make-believe. We would play house, doctor’s office and my personal favorite: school. The world of make-believe as a kid is a magical place with no ceilings or walls to stop you. You can literally be whatever you want to be with no limits to your imagination.

Now my make-believe skills were a touch rusty as Danielle and I played; I found myself having a hard time seeing all the things that she was seeing. She would be adding to the story and I was left fumbling with my words just trying to keep up with her. “When did this happen…?” I wondered. I used to be able to play make-believe with the best of ‘em. No storyline was too unbelievable for me. Yet here I was wondering why the dragon was in the garage or why the fairies would have their own pets.

I’d like to call this my Peter Pan moment. Without even noticing it, I had grown up, never to return to Neverland. My imagination is a more cynical, rational, shriveled up version of what it once was. In Polar Express, on Christmas morning when the parents jingle the bell Santa gave the little boy and can’t hear a sound at all… that is me! When did I stop believing in “childish things"?

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Dreams, CareerAlyssa RichardsonComment
Learning How to Rest
Learning How to Rest

I’ve been battling exhaustion for a few months now.

I know everyone has. Something about the “new school year” – even if you’re not in school or your work/life isn’t impacted by the academic calendar, it’s just so hard to get back into the swing of things post-summer and everything just gets crazy busy.

After a long hard day, Tyler’s and my favorite way to rest is to curl up on our upstairs couch and binge-watch a Netflix show. Lately it’s been “Suits.” We’ve been so tired and run ragged by daily life, we’ve been throwing ourselves on the couch more and more to turn off our brains and escape the day by immersing ourselves into Harvey, Mike and the latest plot twist.

Recently, I’ve heard a few comments from friends who got rid of their TV. Insert immediate feelings of shame.

DON’T YOU DARE TELL ME I NEED TO GET RID OF MY TV.

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LifeHanna SeymourFeaturedComment
On Surviving Storms
On Surviving Storms

As you may or may not know, the East Coast was recently the victim of a righteous beating. Winter storm Jonas (controversial because many folks dispute the practice of naming winter storms), came in with a vengeance last Friday and left many eastern cities crippled in its wake. As one who has never dealt with true winter (Texas represent!), I was beyond nervous about the impending storm; after all, I only recently got snow boots and I'm not even sure how to use them.

I am a weak human; I am made for temperate climates. Jonas' upcoming arrival forced me to face my anxieties and come up with a plan and incidentally made me evaluate how I encounter obstacles in all areas of my life, beyond large shifts in the weather. Spoiler alert: I made it through the storm, and I learned some lessons that can apply to the storms of life as well as storms on the East Coast.

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LifeRachel MallisonFeaturedComment
30 Lessons After Graduation
30 Lessons After Graduation

1. After a hard day, there’s nothing better than lighting a fancy candle and taking a hot bath. Indulge in a little luxury.

2. Assume that everyone in your yoga class feels just as vulnerable as you do.

3. Keep going to yoga. (Or your chosen equivalent.)

4. If you want something badly, tell someone about it. Your best friend, your mom, the cashier at the grocery store. You’ll be ten times more likely to reach for that goal if someone else is quietly rooting for you. Bonus points if that someone calls you out on your excuses.

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Graduation, Life, RelationshipsKristen HartsfieldFeaturedComment
We Are Not Trained to Stand Still
We Are Not Trained to Stand Still

If 17 was one of my favorite years so far, 22 was its sorrowful counterpart. That year was a year of distance for me, distance between who I was and who I wanted to be. It was the year I moved 3,000 miles for love, leaving behind nearly every place and person I ever knew. I went into this year with a bachelor’s degree and no plan other than taking six months off from even thinking about what my next step should be.

Even though I needed that time, it was the year my life stood still.

In retrospect, I know things happened during that year. I know the world didn’t stop. But it sure felt like it did. Days blended together, weeks stretched out into months, and eventually the year came to an end. 

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Dreams, Life, CareerNicole BoozFeaturedComment
How to Dwell
How to Dwell

You could say I’ve been carrying the word “dwell” around in my pocket for a little while now.

Once upon a time, I thought dwell was a peculiar word. Had I been asked to prescribe a physical form to it, I might have chosen a dark and sporous mold. I was under the impression that it meant to live as a hermit. And not the Boo Radley, kind and courageous type of hermit, but more of the long finger-nailed kind. While my apartment is a tad eccentric and also filled with sweets, please don't start referring to it as they did to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory (“nobody ever goes in ... and nobody ever comes out.”)  So before you think that my 2016 resolution is to become a recluse, allow me to explain.

If given the proper chance, dwell is actually a marvelous word. At its core, it is a fairly neutral word, devoid of offensive meaning. And thus begins my two-part New Year’s Resolution.

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Life, RelationshipsLaurel DicusFeaturedComment
It's Okay
It's Okay

I’ve cried more in the past few months than I probably ever have in my entire life, throughout this huge blur of confusion and aimless direction and anxiety. And although I was extremely fortunate to find a job soon after we graduated, it was far from what I wanted to be doing in the long run. It was a temp position, and that’s all I ever wanted it to be: temporary.

I have this tendency to be self-doubtful, to over-analyze every little thing to every little core, pick it apart, over-analyze it some more. And I have no idea why. So from when I first sat down at my desk up until now, I constantly apologized for all of the countless (countless…) mistakes I made, the appointments that I booked incorrectly, the money I added wrong; the list goes on.

“I’m sorry,” I would shriek. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

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Dreams, Career, LifeAlyssa VottoFeatured, Archive 16Comment
Caught Between Independence and Needing Mom
Caught Between Independence and Needing Mom

When I was 15, I decided to do an exchange year abroad. I didn't even bother asking my mother about her opinion. I wanted it, so I applied for it. One year later I was sitting on an airplane on my way to Virginia, 5,000 miles away from home. Facebook had just started and WhatsApp was not around yet (Icq was still the THING). I was unbelievably excited. Ten months in a different country, a new life, a new family, new friends. Weekly calls from home? Annoying. I just wanted to have a great year and become a part of my new surroundings. So I told my mom I did not want her to call me all the time.

Bad idea. Very bad idea. We ended up having a major fight. She felt betrayed, excluded, unloved. I could write an article on how to break a mother’s heart. I should add: My mom and I had been living together for almost 10 years and I don't have any siblings, so I consider her my best friend. Suddenly I had turned her into a single woman who had also just turned 40. As I said, very bad idea.

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Life, RelationshipsViviane SchmidtComment