Today was a good day. I've been doing some thinking, and I've come to a consensus with myself. Mainly, I've decided that it's not enough for me to just "make it through" the next few months. As I've seen with people trying to overcome poverty day-to-day in Harare, survival leaves little time for enjoying life, pursuing opportunities, or putting their best of themselves forward in the world. Of course, given this context, I must also remember that the challenges I'm facing are relatively trivial. My fortune of studying abroad is perhaps something that someone somewhere has only been able to dream about. To discard its significance is to be callously selfish, and I refuse to be that way. Since I made the choice to be here in Jordan, I'm going to be physically, mentally, and emotionally with it. I'm going to plug myself into this place, stop thinking about what I miss/wish/want, and appreciate what is HERE and NOW. I'm ready to get over this weird totally out-of-character wallowing phase. I'm ready to restart. I'm ready to positively coach myself through whatever comes my way. And what's better, I know that I can do it, and that I've always been able to do it! All it takes is a different frame of mind. I'm adjusting my attitude today.
And yeah, I already know that things may not get any easier or comfortable...but that's the joy of being somewhere else!
As Lebanese philosopher Kahlil Gibran once wrote, "Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you, as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you, as by the way your mind looks at what happens."
He is indeed a wise man.
And now a closing song for those who need something catchy to hum during class or in the shower. I can't help but smile :)
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