We all know change is hard. And scary. But wow, is it so necessary. I’ve mentioned before how ill I was the night before moving to Colombia, full of fear and anxiety about the unknown to come. But not for one moment have I regretted that decision to stand at the precipice and step off. Of course hindsight is twenty-twenty as the saying goes, and I can only recognize afterward how great that decision has turned out for me. But it makes one wonder, how many missed opportunities have there been in my life, opportunities that could have altered my life even further and I’ll simply never know? It can drive a person mad thinking of all those what-ifs, so I try hard not to fixate on them. Living in the here and now is what we must do, but without being afraid of further change whether it turns out positively or negatively, which brings me to my point…
Last school year was the hardest period of my life for many reasons. I experienced the depths of depression and anxiety and now have an inkling of how challenging it is for people who struggle with mental health issues all their lives. Fortunately for me, it was a temporary darkness. How did I get out of it? I made a change. A change that maybe wasn’t so big in comparison to a continent move, but it was enough of a change to kick me out of my funk and put things into perspective. The mental and emotional struggles aren’t gone and I doubt they’ll ever fully leave, but it’s loads better. I’m glad I took that step, even though I was scared and couldn’t see outside of my tunnel vision at the moment. But this has been the best reminder to continue stepping outside of my comfort zone, taking risks, and maintaining an open mind. I see people around me scared to do so, and I wish it for them…I wish it so hard, that they would approach the cliffside and throw themselves off into the unknown. However else can we move forward in our lives?
Teach. Travel. Taste. 