Stop, and take a breath.

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

Welcome to Summer...

A lot of people ask me why I choose to be so busy; why I choose a life full of constant stress and meetings to get to. I have never been able to give them an answer because I didn't believe I was choosing that life. I loved what I did and didn't know what to do if I was to have down time.

Ever since high school I have always been busy. In high school, I was busy with classes, band, choir, speech, musicals and plays and then fast forward to college and my level of commitment seemed to sky rocket. I was still busy with classes but then roles in CAB, Dance Marathon, SAA and church ministries occupied the better part of each of my 9 months of a college year. And summers were no different. For 7 years my summers were spent "working" 40+ hours a week in the sun at the pool.

Now that I have been out of school for a month and have had the opportunity to sit, rest and experience a life without schedules or meetings, I think I finally have the answer to the question of why I choose to be busy.

Ready for this? I choose to be busy because I genuinely enjoy it.

Think that's weird?

Toward the end of this school year when everybody was asking me what I was most excited for about this summer, I told them I was excited to not be doing anything; I was excited to have free time for the first time in a long time and I truly meant that.

Because so many people had questioned my busyness over the years, I began to believe that I was doing life wrong; that I shouldn't be filling all my down time with more work and should enjoy not doing anything.

But now that I have experienced what that actually looks like, I'm not so sure that I'm a fan of not being busy.

Don't get me wrong, I see value in taking breaks from being busy and have learned to incorporate that into my schedule when I am at my busiest. But for me, being busy and always having tasks that need to be accomplished is what I enjoy.

- DV

"If you really knew me" :: Ben

This morning, I had the opportunity to sit down with a friend of mine, Ben Konfrst, and hear a little bit about his story. Typically, I write blogs about people I run into in coffee shops, but after spending an hour with Ben, I knew I wanted to include him on this blog.

We arrived at Cup of Joe at 8 a.m. and ordered our drinks. He ordered an iced mocha latte and told me he got it iced because he thought getting it hot would wake him up more than he wanted to be that early in the morning. I chuckled to myself and just shook my head as we headed to the back of the shop and took our seats on adjacent couches.

After some basic chitchat about our lives, classes and our weekend plans, we somehow landed on the conversation of faith and God. Personally, I’m not one to shy away from the conversation and it didn’t sound like Ben was either. We talked about how we were brought up and how as kids living with our parents, what we believed wasn’t as much what we chose to believe but what our parents told us to believe.

“When I came to college this past fall, I realized that my faith was now truly my decision. Nobody was telling me where I should go to church, or if I even had to,” Ben explained.

Throughout our conversation, it became pretty obvious that this man is on fire for Jesus and is excited to share about His love for others.

I never expected our conversation to head in this direction. I never expected us to spend a solid 45 minutes talking about faith and Jesus, but that's the cool thing about coffee shops; they are an environment where you can forget about everything else and just enjoy other people's company.

As we finished up our conversation on faith,  I began to realize how important it is that we take time and talk to the people around us. Whether it be about the weather, sports or faith, engaging with those we pass by everyday can lead to some great conversations.

This week, I’d like to challenge you to talk to somebody new in a coffee shop. Don’t just walk in, get your drink and head out, but take some time to meet somebody and hear a bit of their story.

- DV

Coffee isn't THAT great

Why are people drawn to coffee shops? It's a question I've pondered for a couple of years now. Ever since I had my first cup my freshmen year, I've wondered why they are so special.

See, I come from a small town in Southeast Iowa where coffee is something you make in the morning to help you wake up and you go about your day. I never had a local coffee shop to go to or a Starbucks down the block to help me wake up. I never drank coffee because it wasn't special, it was just caffeine that I didn't need.

Anybody can make coffee; with the right equipment, knowledge and practice, making a good cup of coffee is fairly simple. Given this, why don't more people just make their own coffee instead of spending a couple dollars more for one at a coffee shop?

When I went to the coffee shop my freshman year with my friend, I ordered a latte, sat back and enjoyed it. Looking back, it wasn't the greatest drink I've ever had, but for some reason that day, I thought it was such an amazing drink.

Coffee shops are special, not because the coffee they serve is amazing (while that does make the difference SOMETIMES), but because of the environment they create for their customers.

When I think back on the past few years and all of the coffee shops I have visited, the best shops have been the ones where I feel relaxed and forget about all the things that I have to do in my life. The best coffee shops I've visited are the ones that create an environment for me to lose myself and just enjoy life for a while.

Next time you find yourself stressed with everything life is throwing your way, create some margin in your week and visit a local coffee shop. While it may not seem like the best use of your time, taking some time for yourself in a relaxed environment like a coffee shop may just be what you need to get your groove back and tackle life again.

- DV

"If you really knew me" :: Makaela

This week, I visited Sidecar Coffee Shop in Cedar Falls, Iowa (again, I know, but let's all be honest, Sidecar has some great coffee) and chatted with one of the barista's behind the counter, Makaela.

Makaela is a sophomore at UNI who is majoring in communications and just started working at Sidecar a month ago. I asked her why she wanted to work in a coffee shop and she said it was for the experience in learning how to use an espresso machine and the proper way to make good coffee.

"My favorite part about the job though is the people," she went on to say, "Both the customers and my co-workers are great to be around. They're very fun, friendly and it's a really cool environment to work in."

We talked a bit about what drink I should get and I asked her what her favorite one was. After thinking for a while, she said it was a toss up between a Dirty Soy Chai and a Papua New Guinea pourover. I wasn't really feeling the caffeine tonight (I ordered at 8:30 p.m.) so I just went with a regular chai latte.

As she made my drink, I asked what was the biggest difference about being on the other side of the counter, having just been a customer herself at Sidecar less than a month before. She said that it was weird working behind the counter because before she thought that a barista was super cool and powerful because of their position, but after working at Sidecar for a month, she realized that the reason baristas are super cool isn't because of the position they hold, but because they are genuinely great people.

Finally, I asked her the big question, If people really knew you, what would you want them to know. I was surprised by her answer because she didn't want to talk about herself, but baristas as a whole.

"If people really knew us, I wish they knew how much us baristas really do care about the quality of the cup we pour. We want to give you the best cup of coffee possible, even if that means we remake it to get the perfect cup."

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Far too often, we run in and out of coffee shops without a second thought about the people around us. There are many like Makaela who are working in shops around the country who genuinely care about creating a cup of coffee that you will enjoy. So next time you hit up your favorite coffee spot, appreciate what your barista is doing and the care that goes into creating a great cup of coffee for you.

- DV

12 Days til 12 Hours

This was written for the UNI Dance Marathon blog but I wanted to share it here as well.
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People always ask me why I do Dance Marathon. They ask me why I take so much of my time and dedicate it to a position that I am not even paid for. They ask me why I am fundraising for a cause I am not affected by. They question my sanity. They question my heart. And they question why I care about DM so much more than I care about sleep.

Every single time somebody asks me these questions I respond with a simple answer, “Have you ever done DM?”

It almost never fails that the people that ask those questions are the people that have never done DM before, but the people that have done DM, get it. They understand why I do what I do. They get why DM is such a huge part of my life. They understand why fundraising is so important. They understand that DM isn’t just a student organization. It’s a lifestyle, a way of life. Dance Marathon a movement.

In 12 days, I will be dancing for the kids. I will be dancing for brighter futures. I will be dancing with the hope that someday, Dance Marathon won’t exist. I will be dancing for a cure for childhood illnesses.

Anybody who has attended a Dance Marathon before understands the impact a dollar can make on the lives of the miracle kiddos. If you haven’t attended Dance Marathon before, you might not understand why fundraising is such an integral part of the DM equation, but meeting the kiddos and seeing what your fundraising supports will change your attitude toward it real quick.

I encourage you, if you haven’t started fundraising yet, use these next 12 days to raise as much money as you can for the kids. Many people, including myself my freshmen year, attend their first Big Event and quickly realize how easy it is to fundraise. Don’t wait until the Big Event; start fundraising now. I promise you won’t regret it.

- DV