amelie43

After deciding that we were waaaay too stressed out last semester, my roommate and I signed up for yoga classes, and so far they’ve been wonderful! I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, and its really nice to have someone else to go with so I don’t feel quite so dumb as the only beginner in the class. Yay! Goal accomplished!

In an act of unprecidented bravery/stupidity (I’m still not sure which… maybe both?), I recently accepted an invitation to read one of my poems at a public reading at which several well-known writers/poets were also reading. That is NOT something that I do. I do NOT share what I write. I HATE public speaking and would rather blend into a wall than be the center of attention. And yet, I read something I wrote in front of a crowd of 50-60 people. And, terrifying as it was, to my great surprise, I didn’t die. And no one laughed or made nasty comments or threw things at me. Instead, people clapped, and afterward, told me that they liked my work, that it was “unique” and “fresh” and “just wonderful.” Weird.

It was an incredibly tough semester, academically and emotionally. I didn’t think I could do it, didn’t think I was smart enough to cut it. But somehow I finished my first semester and I’ll be back for a second one. I credit this entirely to the graduate students and professors in the department who realized that I was having a rough time and believed in me and encouraged me to stick it out. I’m blessed to have those people in my life.