Being Human

1. Melissa and Megan are amazing blog writers.
2. It is amazing to get a text from someone when you didn't have to text them first.
3. Colum McCann is not only an amazing author, but a fantastic speaker.
4. Everyone has a story.

Today was the start of the symposium at my college, which means a ton of amazing speakers come. Tonight was Colum McCann who wrote Zoli, which the whole freshman class read. McCann was funny, personal, and had amazing insight on what it means to be an artist. I loved nearly every minute of it and tomorrow there will be plenty more speakers to come.

Afterward, I spent nearly 3 hours with a friend, simply talking. It was very different from conversations I have had in recent years. In high school, conversations tend to focus on not-so-stunning and in-depth topics. I am not saying college people are immensely better than high school people because in fact, they tend to be the same. But the fact I had an actually decent conversation (especially at night, because often I don't function well at night), was pretty much a miracle. Plus it was with someone I never really expected to be talking with.

It's pretty dang awesome to have a connection with someone and have that connection grow. My mom and I have always talked about having a 'connection' with someone right away when you meet them. For me, people are constantly popping in and out of my life, which has its ups and downs. For a connection to take root and grow deeper by each word, is something I stand in awe of. Not just because it is happening to me, but because it can happen at all.

I also re-discovered the fact that everyone has a story. In our 3 hour conversation, we talked about how when people go to college, they think they will suddenly be someone totally different. This is possible, but if you want to make a very drastic change to who you are, it isn't so easy. Whenever you change a ton about yourself, you often loose a sense of who you truly are, not just what others see. And when one tries to change a ton, old frustrations, fears, and general emotions appear. Those suppressed emotions sometimes gets the best of them. And when emotions run high, stories spill out. And everyone else discovers, contrary to the person's beliefs, that they are not alone in their scars and fears. Everyone has a story and everyone is connected.

And that makes us human.

Well, I have an early morning session to get to. Hope you are enjoying my college journey and lessons. If not... oh well.

Peace!

-Nicole