The Turning Point.
It was Autumn 2014, and I was ready to hit the ground running (I literally woke up early on the first day of the quarter and went for a run). I was FEELING it. The summer had not just reinvigorated me, it had reshaped me. I was more focused and disciplined than I had ever been before. I was excited to hit the books hard and demonstrate the full potential of my capabilities.
But I wasn't just excited about academics, I was excited about life. My new found sense of control and independence left me with a yearning to just go out and experience as many new things as possible, to do everything that I'd been too nervous to do before. The adrenaline pumping through my veins was enhanced by the fact that I had just moved into an apartment after living in the dorms for two years. Having to be actually responsible for taking care of myself by stepping out from under the wing of the dorm system was an opportunity I welcomed with open arms. On top of that, I was going to start living with three great guys I had known from the dorms (from the left, Conor, Taelon, and Shawn in the picture below), and I was excited for the change of pace and atmosphere that they would bring to my life. It seemed like in no time at all, we just clicked and became a family (or a fam, as we refer to ourselves), even establishing a "family breakfast" every Sunday morning.
But I wasn't just excited about academics, I was excited about life. My new found sense of control and independence left me with a yearning to just go out and experience as many new things as possible, to do everything that I'd been too nervous to do before. The adrenaline pumping through my veins was enhanced by the fact that I had just moved into an apartment after living in the dorms for two years. Having to be actually responsible for taking care of myself by stepping out from under the wing of the dorm system was an opportunity I welcomed with open arms. On top of that, I was going to start living with three great guys I had known from the dorms (from the left, Conor, Taelon, and Shawn in the picture below), and I was excited for the change of pace and atmosphere that they would bring to my life. It seemed like in no time at all, we just clicked and became a family (or a fam, as we refer to ourselves), even establishing a "family breakfast" every Sunday morning.
It seemed like my first two years of college had been a grueling trek on the craggy steeps of a mountain. But Autumn 2014 marked the point where I clambered over the crest and found a spectacular slide on the other side. Sure, there were a few bumps on the way down, but like a child possessed by the pure happiness of having gravity send him surging downwards, I was enjoying the ride too much to dwell on them for too long. "Things went downhill from here", but in the best way possible.