She's a rebel

1. Sleeping in is great.
2. It's okay to give yourself time to think.
3. It's a small world.
4. "Family" includes a lot more than just blood relatives.
5. Pudgy little squirrels are ADORABLE!

Heeey, its Megan. Happy Wednesday! And Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Oh, and the title comes from a Green Day song, in case you were wondering. I just arrived at home around 20 minutes ago. Where is home you ask? Home for me is Central Minnesota, about an hour north of the Twin Cities.

So here I am, sitting in my room, contemplating my return and also how my family will react to my streak of blue hair... The thing is that doing anything remotely associated with rebellious behavior is completely uncharacteristic of me. I thought about doing something a little bit crazy, but never plucked up the courage to actually do it. I tend to be spontaneous only under carefully controlled conditions, and so this is a little weird for me. Am I turning into a rebel?

Well... maybe. The thing is that society expects college students to rebel and do some crazy stuff. Colleges put into place a whole number of policies aimed at controlling the chaos that is a population of young adults. I wonder though, what is the real cause for stereotypical college behaviors? Do we "rebel" because we're at a crucial junction in life? Or is it really because we're faced with societal expectations that we're supposed to rebel? It's all over in the media and movies and such: how a college student is supposed to act.

I guess I am just worried that my family will take this little deviation from the social norm and peg me as the new family rebel. Maybe I am to an extent, but the changes in my appearance are nothing compared to the changes everywhere else. I am turning into a happier, funnier, more thoughtful, more open, better person, all thanks to the craziness that is college. If that's a successful shot at rebelling from the social norm then throw me in the same league as James Dean because it's where I want to be.

I pose a challenge to you. Yes you, the one reading this right now. It's okay to rebel. I encourage it. HOWEVER, you ought to find something worth rebelling over. Something that keeps you up at night or gives you those knots in the pit of your stomach. Find your cause, your purpose in life...even if it doesn't coincide with what society thinks you ought to do. I mean, what's a rebel without their cause? (Do I score points for another James Dean reference?) If you don't like how society handles a certain issue, then show how to handle it better. If you don't like what society values, then be an example of what ought to be held as important.

Being unique and different is challenging, and it's hard to stand up for what you really believe in, but I know you can do it. Be strong. You got this.

-Megan