Being a transfer student, I thought my fresh start was going to be that second semester of Freshman year. As it turned out, my fresh start was my first semester of Junior year. Not exactly how I imagined things but either way, I’m still okay with it.

Doing new things has never really been my strong suit. I’m quiet, reserved, and often afraid of opening myself up in basically every way when it comes to new people. That often makes me weary about trying new things. This semester, I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone (ever so slightly) and started to enjoy the idea of new changes in my life.

Probably the most recognizable new thing I’ve done this year is live alone. As a 20 year old college student, living alone isn’t exactly the route most people take. College is about those crazy weekends, that roommate bond, and those stories you absolutely cannot tell your parents. I liked that life for a while. Except now, that’s not really what I’ve got going on. 

I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to live alone, but I will say it definitely comes with challenges. The other day I started talking to myself while doing my homework. I’ve started to question if I’m going crazy or not. Rest assured, I’m not. The loneliness just tends to take over sometimes. 

On the flip side, living alone has been one of the greatest things I have done for myself. Being someone who has always loved to be by themselves, I knew I had it in me to live alone. Between my friends and family, everyone was confident that it was not only the best decision for me, but something I would be able to do. It always makes me feel a bit better when someone says they could never live alone. In reality, I think most people would enjoy it if they had the chance or opportunity. But still, it gives me a bit of an ego boost to know I’m doing something most people my age aren’t.

I’ve learned a lot about myself from this new endeavour. More recently, I discovered I’m a pretty decent cook. When you live alone, you’re basically in charge of every single aspect of your life. Pretty obvious. But again, trying something new sometimes makes you feel like you’re back to square one in kindergarten. I haven’t always been the best cook, aside from mac and cheese and Eggo waffles. Considering my more recent recipes mainly consist of pasta, ground turkey, rice, and shrimp- I haven’t reached peak chef status yet. I’m really getting there though. Oh and huge life update- I’m also a plant mom now.

I’ve dedicated most of my time to being a better version of myself. That’s not something relatively new in my life, but something I’ve put a lot more effort into keeping up with. Consistency in everything I do has become one of my favorite new aspects of life.

Even though I’ve started to branch out more and take advantage of the new opportunities around me, the idea of change still scares me. I think change will always be a scary thing. But it’s become easier and easier day by day. New things can honestly be a lot of fun and I feel kinda silly for being scared of them before. Nothing changes if nothing changes. At least that’s what I like to believe.

Thanks for reading. Now go try something new.

xoxo

Caroline