When I first set up my Happiness Project I decided that I would make September my month to focus on friendships, talking with new people, and trying to quit interrupting others as much.
I chose September because I would be back at school and have plenty of time to focus on my relationships with others. LOL.
Then my hardest semester of college began where just in the past week I have spent on average 6 hours every day working on homework or studying. So you could say my life is not very fun right now. However, I'm taking the evening off tonight to do things to help my sanity. No joke, I'm down to the last few marbles up in my noggin.
Coming from a wonderful hometown like Centralia, I was blessed to be involved in many different groups during high school. Being so diverse, it let me become good friends with so many different people who I may not have been otherwise. And in high school you didn't have to be intentional.
Okay, I take that back. I intentionally sprinted to lunch each day to beat all you hooligans to the front of the line. And for your information, I only got stopped once by the principal so I'm super fast AND stealthy. However, it was super awkward because he made me stand with him next to the entrance until everybody was through the line. So that was really dumb and even though he was super cool I'm not sure I'll ever give up that grudge. I take my food seriously.
ANYWAYS.
So in high school I never had to be intentional with my friendships. When you spend all day every day with all the people you consider your friends, it just kinda works. You don't have to think about finding time to hang out because you just do. And you talk to them all day every day.
Well, college is different. It's sad that the majority of the people I once talked to daily who were so important to me are now the people I see and talk to very little. It's not that I wanted to stop being friends, it's that it's just really hard.
And now I have all of these new awesome friends in college. Well, I made these friends and unlike high school, I still don't see them everyday. You actually have to make time for each other.
So this month I am focusing on prying myself away from studying and spending time with people I care about and love. And also to make new friends.
It's really easy to be intentional when you have the Blackwell gene that allows you to be able to talk to a brick wall. I mean, just yesterday as I was walking across campus I made friends with an elderly man. He was handing out bibles and I had time so I stopped and chatted and he gave me excellent Christian advice. If I decided to not be intentional in that moment when I decided to stop, I would have never heard from that man. And that's kind of sad.
When it comes to friends, I don't think it will be too difficult to be more intentional. I mean, I enjoy being social and I obviously enjoy to have fun.
However, my goal for this month is to become better at interacting with individuals who I normally wouldn't and hear what they have to say. Everybody has a story and it's so interesting to hear from all sorts of people. And since I'm attending such a diverse, amazing university, I don't think I'll have a problem with this part of my goal.
Finally, it's September 11th.
Sometimes in life it's really easy to get caught up in yourself and your own problems. I mean, I've been having a pity party for myself for a solid week because of school. However, sometimes we need to stop and appreciate what others have done for us.
Without the soldiers who protect us, who knows what our lives would be like. Would I be able to go to Mizzou and get an excellent education? Would I live in fear because I am a Christian? Would I be able to have a say in our government and vote?
When 9/11 happened I was too young to understand what was going on. I remember having a feeling that something was wrong at school and then once I was home knowing something was wrong after seeing my mom.
To me, the anniversary of 9/11 is a day to remember all of the lives that were lost and the heroes who willingly stepped up.
It's also a day to be intentional with friends and family.
Life can change so quickly and there is no way to know God's plan until it happens. We don't know when our last day together will be.
So maybe it's silly for me to stress out so much about school when life is so much more important.
Either way, today I am thankful for my life, friends, family, freedom, faith, happiness, hopefulness, soldiers, fire fighters, volunteers, kindness, and most of all, God.
I'm lucky to live the life that I do and have the ability to write this silly blog when I have the chance. I'm lucky that I'm able to have my goal for the month be to be more intentional with others when other parts of the world have goals like trying to survive.
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