What I've been up to this summer

Summer is at its end.

I know this because the sun rises at 6:15 am, a good 45 minutes earlier than it was rising about a month ago.
      ...and I know this because this summer I finally got my natural sleep rhythm adjusted to where I function best, so that I've seen the sun rise more mornings than not these last few weeks. That's one of my biggest personal accomplishments.

I feel a bit dizzy looking back over these last three months. These months were filled with more Life than I even thought possible.

1. Summer kicked off with a week in Haiti. 
2. I soaked in a delightful visit home. 
3. I got back just in time for an Educational Ministries class. 
4. I went camping. 
5. I job-hunted like a mad woman while completing papers and projects for aforementioned class. 
6. I spent two days a week taking fifty children to fun activities. Then my client load doubled (from 2 to 4). 
7. I left two jobs. I started two jobs. 
8. I went backpacking on an island.
9. I went fishing.  
10. I went dancing in the city, twice.  
11. I became an R.A. 

The year ahead becomes even more dizzying. In the next nine months, I intend to: 

1. Complete at 20-hour per week internship. 
2. Finish my last three Master's level classes. 
3. Be a good R.A. 
4. Teach a Sunday school class and lead workshops for my church. 
5. Work 20 hours a week with little children and with horses (not at the same time).
6. Be a youth leader. 
7. Pass the Comprehensive Exam. 
8. Pass the National Counselor Exam. 
9. Get a real job for the first time in my life. 
10. Move.  

I'm learning so much, especially about community and Sabbath and empowering people. I've learned that I'm bad at these things, that I have so much more to learn. I'm learning to slow down even though life is filling up. I'm learning to breathe in the quit moments whenever possible, to sit in the boredom before I turn to facebook for distraction. I'm trying to honor the person in front of me as the most important person in that moment. I'm practicing peace and joy as both necessary disciplines and seasonal fruit. The friendships around me have become so enriched this summer, and now I begin to prepare my soul for their resolution, for bittersweet goodbyes so that a new chapter can emerge. Most importantly, I learned to stop waiting for my dreams to actualize, because I realize that I am living it all right now. I couldn't ask for anything better.