“Be Where Your Feet Are”
Yesterday in my Branding of Me class, Gary Kayye showed us a Ted Talk from Kevin Carroll. Once we had finished watching the video, Gary surprised us by telling us that he was actually friends with Kevin and he was currently on zoom to talk with the class. He was super interesting to listen to, and I took notes on the things that really hit home with me as he talked about combining work and play and how important it is to chase your passions.
One thing that I think particularly caught my attention at this point in time was his reminder to “be where your feet are.” Especially since March has started and it feels like the rest of the school year is going to fly by, I want to really soak in every moment I have left of college. I know I have so much to look forward to in the coming months, but I don’t want to spend them just being excited about what I have coming up. I want to find joy in even the seemingly mundane things. I know the next two months are going to fly by and, even though there are several things I’m looking forward to, in some ways I just want time to slow down.
In my bullet journal I have a gratitude log that I make every month. It’s nice to take some time at the end of each day to reflect and realize that there’s always something good in my day. It has made me appreciate the little things in each day a lot more. And adding in what Kevin talked about, I’m now thinking about really being present in the moment and enjoying everything as it comes. You are able to enjoy the present moment much more when you stop thinking about the future as much and just exist where your feet are.
Today one way I enjoyed the little things was by doing homework on the quad with my friend Katie. The weather is starting to warm up, and we both are really loving the sunshine. I love spending time with Katie, even if it is to work on an assignment for class, and she has been a great friend to have in classes this year especially. We work super well together, and she is someone who always gets me energized and excited for everything we have left for the rest of our senior year. She’s someone who always helps me live in the moment.
Another little moment that I enjoyed today is walking to class with a friend. I only have one class on Thursdays, and it’s with several of my good friends in the Journalism school, so I usually get to walk to class with someone. Today I got to walk to class with my friend Iyana, and she’s someone who I’m thankful I’ve been able to have several classes with over the last four years. Either before or after class we usually walk together and our little walks are always a part of my day that I look forward to because she always has interesting things to talk about.
Olivia is another friend of mine who I always feel like I’m living in the moment when I’m around. I got to walk with her today after class, and we ended up going on a trip to McDonalds today because Shamrock Shakes are back. Even though Olivia and I became friends pretty recently, she became someone who I felt like I had known for a long time, and even though I wish we had met sooner I’m also thankful that we became friends this year.
All of these little moments in my day have turned what could have been a day I spent mostly alone in my apartment into one filled with many good moments with some great friends. It’s days like this that make me feel like a typical college student, especially watching so many tours going around campus. Even though I have to spend a lot of time thinking about the future as a senior, today was a nice day to get away from those thoughts for a bit and just be in the moment with some friends.
I hope to continue spending time with other people who help me to be where my feet are and to make many happy memories from the little things as I close out my time in Chapel Hill.