This I believe.
I believe in the little things...
The friends I had in high school were some of the best people I have ever known. After a rough start in making new friends, being settled in a group of people I loved and who loved me was an indescribable feeling, and made the last half of my high school experience the incredible ride it was. However, as the summer before college was winding down, I found it hard to grasp the idea that I wouldn’t be spending my free time with these people. I couldn’t see a future without their support or their physical presence in my day to day life. From school dances, football games and bonfires to a college campus where I wouldn’t be in class with anyone I knew? How was I going to manage?
Luckily, I was able to start at the University of Cincinnati with several friends from high school. However, that didn’t mask the fact that some of my best friends were at different schools and some of them were miles away. What I feared most was how this change of routine would change me. My classes were long and lonely, and the beginning of the school year left a lot to be desired. That was until, about a month into my first semester. It was hot outside, I was exhausted, and I was finally being let out of a class where the air conditioning wasn’t functioning. Upon checking my cell phone, I realized I had a missed call and a voicemail from my friend Kat, who also happened to be the friend who moved the furthest away after high school. The voicemail was short and simple – just her calling to say that she missed me and loved me, and to tell me about a class she had just gotten out of where she felt very overwhelmed, much like I was feeling just before she called. There was no exciting news, no groundbreaking announcement in her 30 second voicemail, but it was just what I needed. Her call was the reassurance I didn’t know I had been looking for, the reassurance that I could tackle anything college had to throw at me no matter how apprehensive I felt about my new routine. Her call reminded me of my belief in the little things. I believe that each and every moment of my life, no matter how small or mundane it may seem, has significance. I believe that I can contribute those little things to the lives of others around me and must work hard each day to show others how a simple act can have a substantial impact on someone or something. I believe in good weather on a bad day, holding the door open for the person behind you, smiling at a stranger you pass on the street, and I especially believe in calling loved ones, just to say hello. |
Kat and I before a school dance, senior year. |