"Fall back!"

In a world where college students’ umbrellas turn inside out, and the streets are flooded with water and fallen leaves….

(insert dramatic music here)

If feel like we have been here before. Cold weather, lots of rain, very little hope of seeing a smidgen of sunlight. It’s back. Fall has returned.

I was peeking out from under my umbrella this morning and couldn’t help but think of several pumpkin flavored recipes. It sounds odd, but when the colors change, suddenly I crave seasonal spices and flavors. As a college student living off campus, I have to cook for myself, and therefore my culinary world is expanding faster than you can say “Sundried tomato pesto turkey Panini’s”!

I find that fall weather is the perfect time of year to be contemplative, really sift through the memories you have made. Go through all the imaginary files in your brain and thumb through all that you have learned and absorbed like a sponge.

As I sit at this familiar window at work, I ponder what I was doing on this day last year…. Was I just as cold and wet from walking the distance from campus to work? Was I happy? Upset? What was I working on? What was I thinking at the time? How did I define myself then? Surely I cannot be the same person now.

It’s strange to think how, in a year, you can change and develop so much. College is the place for expanding your horizons in countless ways: making friend, getting involved in different activities, actually learning how to dance, falling in love, getting your heart broken, making mistakes, and learning from said mistakes, re-defining yourself, making a foundation for yourself and for the big world to see. It’s quite a road to travel, but you certainly aren’t alone!

365 days and you are still here, reading my blog, seeing a different me than I was last year. Writing and conveying words to an entirely different reader than you were last year at this time.

Woah.

That’s pretty nifty, if I dare say so myself.

If you don’t believe me, just sit back and take a few moments to ponder how far you have come in life, and be sure to give yourself a big pat on the back for hanging in there through the “life is a bitch” times and shining your best at “yes! This is totally awesome!” moments.

I am mentally giving you all a high five.

Be sure to bundle up today if you live in a rainy and cold environment like myself, if you do not, I’m totally jealous. Let’s hit the beach.

Keep smiling!

~Piper