Thursday, September 23, 2010

twenty three.

for those of you that have noticed, i've been missing in action. i'm not the party girl everyone used to think of me as, and honestly, i'm perfectly satisfied staying home on a friday night and getting a good nights sleep. between my internship, volunteer work, classes, studying for my lsat, and filling out applications for law school, i've had little time to even take a deep breath.. much less think about how to celebrate my birthday.

people say you know your getting old when you don't want to celebrate but i say, i don't care what people say..so this year, instead of the typical alcohol-fest that defines our 20's, i'd be happy if you just took the time to do something nice for someone else. be it your parents, siblings, friends, stranger, etc. etc. instead celebrating my birthday, lets celebrate EACH OTHER, and give back.

I always hear talk about the world around us, and it was only until recently did i really get to experience it. i love my volunteer work, and the patients i work with. one in particular, adam, i can never forget. my first day, i was told to try and get to know the patients, some suffering from mental illness, disease, and plain old age. This young man in his 30's approached me in a wheelchair, speaking with a stutter, body contorted, and shaking uncontrollably. to be honest, if i were anywhere else, i would not take the time out of my day to even notice him, and if i did, i'd probably steer clear. we worked on a puzzle together, as he is in no condition to do such activities without help, i got to learn a lot about him and his story. sometimes someone else's reality can be a sad one, and it humbled me to know that good people like him exist despite life's troubles. that same day, everyone was taking pictures of the patients to post in the clinic, and this young man, who has lived the majority of his life crippled, PULLED HIMSELF UP, propped up against a table, to stand beside me in a picture.

i would really like to just spend my upcoming birthday enjoying life, as my typical day includes a million and one tasks, i want to take the time to appreciate the greatness of being 23, the year ahead of me, and the people around me. geared towards the future, i see big changes set in motion.

this time last year, i worked 40 hour weeks, and did what i needed to do to get by. my applications and scores were not impressive, but i managed. i'm tired of being mediocre. this year, i've never been more focused. when i first decided that i wanted to be a lawyer, it was because i didn't want to be a doctor. a few days at my internship, i realize, i'm good at what i do, and i love it. not only can i put my rather competitive eager ocd personality to use at the office, i'm actually making a difference instead of pushing paper.

i know it's only been a few months, and it would be a little naive to say "it's different this time," but who cares what you think, this is my blog, and i would love nothing more than prove you wrong.

i'm gunna make these dreams a reality.
happy early birthday to me :)
and happy day to you.

1 comment:

  1. aww yay! great story! so proud of you and i couldn't agree more about enjoying simple things and simple people! =D

    And then I noticed you're only turning 23?! gah I always forget you're that much younger.

    ReplyDelete