Adventures of Kim and Norm the Gnome: June 2012

Monday, June 4, 2012

"The unexamined life is not worth living" -socrates

I've heard it said that punctuality is the result of boredom. In my case, blogging is the result of boredom. It is proof by my lack of blogs that I have indeed been busy. However, now that life is beginning to take it's time for me I can enjoy the simple pleasures of Slowness. The idea of taking ones time, walking from place to place, and even allowing oneself to just sit and think have been lost in my life through the hussle and bussle of college life. I am glad to say that I am done with that, for at least another two months at least. The Freedom of Summer. It brings a freshness and rejuvenation just saying the word. I have taken this summer to be my Me Summer. I bought a Jillian Michael's work out video. It's called "Ripped in 30." I think I might die. I figured when is a better time to get in shape than now? Lazy Kim's answer: Another five minutes. Jillian Michael's answer: RIGHT NOW. It might be out of some weird desire to be in shape, but after one of her workouts part of it is out of fear.

So along with being besties with Jillian I have also begun playing tennis with my dad. The funny thing about that is that when I was little my parents had us take these summer tennis and golf lessons. They were actually really awesome too. We would start out the morning playing tennis, have a pool and lunch break in the middle, and then finish the day playing some golf. I'm surprised to say that those lessons actually paid off. I can play tennis. All be it, I'm still not very good. But considering my dad use to be good about seven years ago and hasn't played sense, we are about at the same level. Plus, we both get tired after about half an hour so it is really turning out to be a win-win situation. This summer is proving to be an excellent time for me to reconnect with my family on a new level. I feel as though I have completely changed from who I was in high school, but the fact it that I am not really that much different. I have been fortunate to experience things that have challenged me to think about who I am and it's not that I have changed, but rather discovered who I am. Sadly over this three year period I haven't spent much time with my family. In many ways, I am learning about who they have become just as much as they are beginning to see who I am. It's certainly a funny thing to go from a place of comfort, such as home, to one extreme environment after the next(i.e. South Africa, to Invisible Children, back to college and then back to home). The past year and a half has been spent going and going. I've heard it said "Don't Think, Do." Well I did. And now I think I'll think.

The fact is, since I began college my life has constantly been divided into six month sections which has made it easy for me to compartmentalize my experiences. To box them up and place a nice little bow on top. I am now at the point where I am untying the ribbons wanting to make sense of all the experiences and how they have contributed to who I am. I've realized how much I have changed and yet the core of who I am and, most importantly, who I want to be remain the same. I have to continually reminded myself that I am not the only one who has changed, that everyone around me is experiencing life int heir own way. Everyone is taking things in, processing, learning and adapting. I was told that leaving Invisible Children would be hard. That people wouldn't understand my experience. I came to college and all people asked me were "Oh, you have a boyfriend, what's he like?" It frustrated me. There was so much more to my experience that I wanted to share; I wanted to tell them everything. I wanted to share how I had never worked so hard in my life for something. I wanted to explain the wonderful things that this organization was doing to tangibly affect the lives of people in Central Africa. How my passions were developed and challenged. But people didn't get it. Relationships are relatable; living for others is intangible. It just showed my desire to connect with others; a want to share my struggles and my accomplishments. That is all we ever want though. Connection. It's what keeps the world going.