Four years ago next week, I walked into Noehren 428 for the first time. I was so excited for college to be starting, and for a new life away from Mediapolis, that I basically kicked my parents out of my dorm room after we had finished moving everything in and they took me shopping for some last minute necessities.
Those first few weeks of classes were a blur. Between all of the organizations handing me flyers in the union to all the new people I was meeting, I don't seem to remember much from that first month of school.
What I do remember, however, is how busy I was and how fast it all happened.
Fast forward through my next three years at UNI and things went even faster and my schedule only got busier. My senior year, it wasn't uncommon for me to have a 60+ hour week full of classes, work, meetings and studying.
At the beginning of this summer, I was determined to take a break. I was determined to take a breath from being busy. I was determined to simply live.
And I did.
That first month after school I didn't do much other than work and hang out with friends. It was during this time, however, that I began questioning why I was unhappy with how my summer had been going so far. During school, a lot of people had always questioned why I chose to be busy and during that first month after graduating, I finally understood why. (I wrote a blog about it, check it out: "Welcome to Summer...").
While the theme from that post still remains true (I still really enjoy being busy and having things to do), I've learned this summer how important slowing down and taking a breath can be. This summer, I've been able to do so many things that I just simply didn't do, or made excuses to do, during my undergrad time at UNI:
I went hammocking on beautiful days and laid there doing NOTHING.
I grabbed my camera and took photos of things because I wanted to, not because I had to for class or an organization.
I called up friends to hang out during the day without having to schedule "Coffee with so and so" two weeks in advance if I wanted to see them.
I quit making excuses and started reading my bible every morning.
Simply put, I took a breath and enjoyed a life free from constant busyness.
That is the purpose of this blog post; nothing really profound. I just want to encourage you, no matter who you are or what season of life you are in; take a breath. If you are like me the past four years and are starting school up again in a couple of weeks, leave margin in your life to simply live. Don't feel like you need to pour all of your free time into a multitude of student organizations or studying for classes any free chance you get.
It is okay to not be busy. It is okay to say no to things. Most importantly, it is okay to stop and take a breath.
-DV