Acceptance

Some chapters in life are not going to end happily, and that is okay. I never thought I would start a blog post with a theme of accepting that life doesn't work out the way I planned it out. I never planned on taking a gap year, but I am because I need to know what it's like to rest. I accepted that opportunity last October and while it doesn't make sense to most people, it was what was best for me.

I never planned on graduating without an education degree. But a what was likely a tough decision for the dean to not allow me to go further into the program turned out to be what was best for me. My heart shattered into a million pieces, understandably. It took me two years, but I finally accepted that God was not calling me to the school system. I decided to close that chapter at graduation, reverse a previous open letter to my old major by writing a new one, and not look back.

I could go on and on about the plans I have made while in college that have not worked out the way I planned, but the point is, coming to that final stage of the grieving process is not easy. It does not mean that you are no longer sad about what didn't work out. It means that you have an opportunity to learn from mistakes and carry the lessons learned into the future. Real life is messy and it is meant to be. But once you reach the point of acceptance, you'll feel like yourself again. I've been there.

Here's to healing. Here's to recovery. Here's to positivity. You can do this.