Wednesday, October 26, 2011

You've Got Growing Up To Do

I wasn’t going to write a blog about this part of my life, but I think it’s valuable for me to record – for inspiration to other who have felt the same way as me, and because I want to brag about it a little bit. I’m truly proud of what I have been doing in my life.


The past few months have tested my strength.  They’ve challenged me to accept things for what they are, and make the most of my situation – no matter what that is.  And they’ve made me a stronger, more independent and more compassionate person. Today, I am much more satisfied with myself and my character than I was in August. I’d be lying if I said I did it all willingly and with a smile on my face.  In fact, it was quite the opposite...because for the longest time, I was in denial.  I didn’t want to accept the fact that a guy I loved had left me and my friends had betrayed me. I thought better of my friends, especially, and had never seen a situation like this happening to me. But, I was wrong…and looking back, that is alright by me.

When I found out about my friend passing away, everything flew into perspective.  As I hit rock bottom, never feeling so overwhelmed by life or so alone, it was as if somebody struck me across the face and said, “Megan, get your ass into gear – the world is bigger than this, and you have a lot of living to do.”  It was just the wakeup call I needed and as I laid there in my room, staring at the ceiling, I knew that I had some growing up to do.

It may sound corny, but I’m a true believer in the saying “Everything Happens for a Reason.” The beginning of September left me on my own - but in doing so, I came to realize that I wasn’t in fact alone. I had support systems from my family, from my workplace, from the University of Washington, and from my hometown of Puyallup too. Just because I wasn’t receiving the support I needed from the people I had expected to be there for me, wasn’t an indicator that I was on my own for good. Instead of wallowing in my sorrows, I picked myself up and started to figure out my life. I set out to rekindle relationships from the past, make connections with new people, excel in school, and work hard in everything else.  I figured that with all of these things in line, the rest would figure itself out…and it has.

There have been ups and downs, of course, but that is normal in anything. I’ve had friend issues, school issues, boy issues, etc. but it’s all part of the bigger picture. As of now I’m on track to graduate at the end of Summer 2012, I’m planning a study abroad trip to Barbados in June and July, I have a high-paying job at a restaurant, I’ve been making friends like crazy and maintaining the relationships that matter most to me. Most importantly, though, for the first time in a long time I go to bed nearly every night with a smile on my face.

I feel as though I have rebuilt my life from the ground up since September 1st and I’m proud of how far I’ve come, and extremely excited to see how I continue to grow in the upcoming months.