the best me.

Today was one of those days - one of those amazing days that you want to have over and over again and that will leave a mark on your life. It all began by waking up to the beautiful sunshine.

The warm weather and sun always bring out the best me. I can not even explain why this happens – I am sure it has something to do with the ways our bodies react and have a need for sun light, or because we need to breathe in the fresh air every once in awhile. But more than that, I learn to appreciate things more, enjoy nature from a new perspective, and happiness just overwhelms my life. I NEED the sun.

Do you ever have a day that makes you want to be better than you are? It is kinda like a kick in the pants of encouragement to be the best you. The sun and warm weather is just one aspect of this kick in the pants for me (the one that says get the heck out of Seattle and go some place you love); however, there were two more things that happened to me today that makes me want to be better.

1. The people who are graduating this year from my program gave portfolio presentations today for their exit exam. These presentations were filled with knowledge, experience, love, hope, sweat, fun times, and development. Reading through some of the portfolios and hearing the words of reflection from my peers just resonated in my heart. In one year from now I want to be able to look back on the last two years and be able to thoroughly articulate my development, my knowledge gained, and my love for student development. This has encouraged me to not take for granted all of my experiences, my class work, my readings, or the network of colleagues I am beginning to make. At the end of my two years I want to be able to pinpoint my growth and see my professional and personal development!

2. I have a friend whose name is Sean (I like to call him “Sean Friend”). He is one of the most amazing, most challenging, and most affirming friends I have ever had the opportunity to get to know. He makes me want to be a better person – he challenges my thoughts and perspectives, he cares so deeply about helping others, he is humble, he is caring, he is one of my biggest encourages, and he lives a life of integrity. I want to live a life like this – I want to affect other people like he affects me.

I end today feeling encouraged, loved, and ready for what tomorrow will bring! God, thank you for such a beautiful and amazing day!