important things i've learned.

OK we can all admit I suck at blogging. But I’ll get better one day. I hope…

I have changed a lot since coming to OSU. I’m sure everyone changes a ton in college. Here are some things I’ve learned in my few years at college:

Old people are actually cool. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I never wanted to work with old people, just like most other people going into the medical field say. EVERYONE says ‘yay I want to work in pediatrics’. No, I prefer not to watch small children die. They have so much wisdom and life experience, they’ve lived through so many things that we can’t even comprehend in our short years thus far. Not only are they wise, they are funny. I have had some of the funniest experiences working with elderly (and no, not because I was laughing AT them!). They are genuinely light hearted and most of the time accepting of their situations. They are tough and they are brave. I have had the life-changing experience of watching a woman go from fairly independent to death in a few weeks. It was heartbreaking to watch, but I learned so much from her. She was sweet and tough, and she died with absolute grace. I was honored to be a part of that. People like that really change you.

Grades mean nothing. Grades show that you figured out how to do an assignment corresponding to teachers opinions or you sucked up to the right person. You figured out the puzzle that is the teachers mind. It hardly ever means actually learning anything and no one cares if you learned anything! But that is just the way it is. I have good grades, but I really honestly believe the most important things I have learned in my classes have not been graded.

Most people genuinely don’t mean to suck. People have good intentions even if they act extremely poorly. I honestly think that some people don’t even realize the way they are acting or the things they are doing have the effects that they do. Or they were raised in a way that they think that their behaviors are acceptable because no one ever told them otherwise or made them own up to their behaviors. I am trying to remember that when I get really mad at people that their circumstances are different and they probably don’t mean to really really suck. I’m sure I suck to plenty of people as well so when I say “they” I definitely include myself.

Positive attitudes can go a long way. When you wake up in the morning with a purpose and a desire to do positive things, your life is really different. i have really been working on having a more positive attitude in general about the way I approach my daily life. The more positive I am, the more positive others will be. And sometimes a happy word or an encouraging thought can change someone’s day or week. Now that is pretty cool!

Religion is awful. Yikes, I’m sure that won’t get me any friends! That being said, I genuinely believe that religion is more harmful to our world than it is helpful. I completely get why people want to have religion and believe in god. When something bad happens, you don’t want to feel alone; you want to know someone out there is looking out for you and loves you no matter what. You want to know that when people pass away they aren’t really gone forever, but just up above watching over and protecting you. You want to know that someone forgives you for your mistakes and accepts you for who you are. You want the comfort of knowing that the love you feel for your family is eternal and will never end. Who doesn’t want all those things? They sound wonderful! And while I believe people have good intentions in their belief of a higher power, and really do want to be genuinely good people, I dare you to seriously and objectively think about this... God allows all these terrible things to happen. He didn’t teach adam and eve right from wrong, yet punished everyone for all eternity when they did something “wrong”. God allows children to be slaughtered in their classroom, die an agonizing death of starvation and AIDS in africa while condemning any use of contraception or education to prevent it, he allows them to be kidnapped and murdered daily, and get cancer, why does an all loving god do this? Why does he torture people to “test their faith”, yet he makes sure you win your game or get that job? Why does god only love people in developed countries? Only people who have money? why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people? Why, in the bible did god kill hundreds of thousands of people while satan killed few (10 I think?)? now, I don’t care if you believe in god, because as long as you don’t hurt people I really don’t care what you believe (seriously, I only dislike religion because of how many people it hurts in god’s name), but I just hope that all of these things are greatly considered when you think about and study your faith. Until I thought about all of this I was sure there had to be a god just because so many people believe there is, not because I had done my own research.  

Soccer isn’t life. What? Anyone who knows me will be shocked by my revelation. I’ve learned that so many things matter so much more than playing soccer. I treasure my experiences and work I put in to reach my goals. That being said, I finally understand that there are other things that exist and other things I am so passionate about, like healthcare! I now know my ability to be disciplined and sacrifice and torture myself via working out for my dreams, and that, I can always say I gained through my soccer career.

I have learned that dogs are seriously the best therapy. No joke. If you feel sad go find a dog to pet and your life will feel so much better (unless you are allergic. Then just look at pictures). I may be biased because I own the cutest dog that ever lived, but they can heal any sorrow.

FINALLY, the most important thing I have learned: there are no things you could possibly own or achieve that can even come close to finding a person that you can share yourself with. Someone you can be completely yourself with without any fear, you aren't ashamed of them knowing every intimate detail about you, that you can have challenging conversations with, and laugh with every single day, someone that loves your quirks and tolerates your dog sleeping in the bed, that holds your hand through your darkest hours and never runs away when you throw up. Someone that teaches you new things and somehow, some way loves you unconditionally even on the days when you really suck. Easily the best lesson I've learned so far.