Teachability

One of my first assignments for the school year (yes I started another year of college, yay!) was to go through a leadership inventory and pick the characteristics that most fit us. I have done this kind of thing before, ranking things like responsibility and respect and organization, but this one had some very interesting leadership characteristics. One that particularly caught my attention was one that my professor listed as "teachability." It was described as the ability to learn and grow, listening to others and considering other possibilities. I'm paraphrasing a little, but you get the gist.

I think that this is a very important characteristic that a lot of people under-appreciate or grow out of. Even I feel like an expert on something and feel almost threatened if someone challenges the way I think about something. But it is so good for me. It can be really simple things. Sometimes I'll rant to my roommate about something or someone and she'll challenge me by asking me to think of it from another perspective. If I do, I usually feel a lot better about the situation. Sometimes it feels even better to learn something new or think differently about something than to be "right." Although I am always looking to be right haha.

I also read a book recently called In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez that talked about dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. It mentioned Fidel Castro a few times in the book and it had a completely different perspective on him than I had got from history books in high school, as a revolutionary that inspired others instead of a communist dictator. It prodded me to look more in depth into this historical figure in order to form my own opinions. This learning moment was really cool for me.

So I guess that's just my own food for thought of the day. I hope by jotting this down that maybe I'll look back someday and my future self will read this: Don't ever let yourself get to the point where you aren't still learning or listening. Always consider other possibilities. Your way isn't always the right way, even if you really want it to be. If you're unsure, explore. 

Hope everyone else that is starting a school year is having a great start. Thanks to all my readers. Maybe I'll have something more exciting to write about next week :)

Saying Goodbye

I remember once as a kid, my parents dropped me off with my aunt and uncle in Columbus to spend a week in the summer. Being away from my immediate family for the first time, I was intensely afraid. I didn't want to let my parents go and couldn't even sleep the first night. But then when they picked me, I cried on the way home because I already missed my aunt, uncle, and cousins so much.

The funny thing is, as a 21 year old, I still feel this same anxiety whenever I leave a place. I have been waiting all summer to get back to Lincoln to be with my friends again and then, yesterday, when I got in the car to leave I wanted to cry just like I did leaving Columbus all those years ago. I already missed my family so much.

We can't always be with everyone we love. Everyone has their own paths and they aren't the same paths as all of our loved ones. Moments like these, though, help me to remember to appreciate all the moments when our paths do cross. It's common to hear "don't live in the past", but you can't always be looking to the future either. Appreciate the present and the people in it, because before you know it, you might have to say goodbye.

My Reading List

So, I don't really have anything I wanted to talk about this week, but something I am asked quite a bit, since I read so much, is what books I would recommend. I think this is a much more difficult question than it seems 1. because every has different preferences and taste and 2. because some things that I loved two years ago might not appeal to me anymore; different books are better for different ages and places in life.

But, I am still gonna give you a list of some of my all-time favorites. Anyone can always read descriptions online to decide if it sounds like a good fit for them.  Also, I am always open for suggestions for new books. Please tell me if you just read something awesome. I want to know :)

-City of Thieves-David Benioff
-The Darkest Minds-Alexandra Bracken
-And the Mountains Echoed-Khaled Hosseini
-Lock and Key-Sarah Dessen
-Flight Behavior-Barbara Kingsolver
-The Fault in Our Stars-John Green
-The Time Traveler's Wife-Audrey Niffenegger
-The Truth About Forever-Sarah Dessen
-The Poisonwood Bible-Barbara Kingsolver
-Eragon-Christopher Paolini
-The Silver Linings Playbook-Matthew Quick
-Anna and the French Kiss-Stephanie Perkins
-Shanghai Girls-Lisa See
-Where the Red Fern Grows-Wilson Rawls
-The Art of Racing in the Rain-Garth Stein
-The Help-Kathryn Stockett
-The Glass Castle-Jeanette Walls
-I Am the Messenger-Markus Zusak

My Favorite Things

So today I happened to hear the song My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music. "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens..." And the thing I love most about that song is her "favorite things" are all small things that you might happen by on a random day. So I decided to make a list of all the random little things that have brightened my day this summer.

-Fireflies
-My cat purring
-The sound of laughter from someone who was just crying
-An unexpected hug
-A day when my hair is particularly soft
-The feeling of pressing a pen against a fresh sheet of paper
-Silence after it rains
-Sand beneath my toes
-Cleaning a room and feeling accomplished
-Singing along to the radio
-Finding an old bookmark in a library book
-The center of a cinnamon roll

So I hope you find something in your day as simple as these things that makes you smile. After all, "a smile is a curve that makes everything straight."