My friends are the glue that holds me together! I do not know what I would do without them. I have friends I see every day and talk to all day, and I have friends who I wish I could see every day and talk to in all day conversations. The reality of the matter is that it just does not happen. That is the amazing thing about friends and the relationships that have formed with each of them. Friends are the family we get to choose, and I think my friends are the absolute best ones I could have ever found. It is weird to think one day we were strangers sitting in a class or a car going to Shipshewana, and all of a sudden became best friends who share anything and everything with each other. From the highest of high moments to the lowest of lows, we are there for one another like there is no tomorrow. Everyone needs friends like the ones I have, and I know I do not thank them enough for being there for me in all things. It is an awesome feeling to know that no matter what life throws at any of us, we are going to be in the passenger seat being the biggest cheerleader and giving pep talks as needed. If you have friends you can always count on no matter what, you have a tribe for life. Stay Curious, Kayla ©Inquisitive Perspectives 2018
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October 22 is International Stuttering Awareness Day. So, while I do not stutter, I know some awesome people who do, thus making it important to me to spend some time today doing my part to bring awareness to stuttering. Over the past two years, I have been involved in research projects for stuttering with one of my professors. When I began my speech-language pathology journey, pursuing stuttering as a potential area of study was not on my radar, but I have since fallen in love with knowing more about it, but more importantly, being an ally for those who stutter. Everyone has a story. Each story deserves to be told, and the person who tells their story should have the respect of having a captive listener. People who stutter are more than their stutter. Judging a person for stuttering is beyond unfair and does not make them any less worthy of being heard. I want to thank the Friends of Young People Who Stutter Association for hosting empowering conventions and teaching me lessons I will never forget. I learned how to listen. I learned how to be a better friend. I learned that remarkable strength, courage, and perseverance can prevail in a society that is not always understanding. As I continue in my studies, I am always looking for opportunities to learn and create a chain reaction to pass my learning on to others. I had the chance to attend a film screening for When I Stutter. I highly recommend taking the time to see the film if a screening comes to your area. It further solidified the notion that all stories are worth being told no matter what they sound like when they are told. I sat in a theater, surrounded by people who were willing to listen, and that is the highest level of respect I think we can give others. So, today and always, I will listen. Stay Curious, Kayla ©Inquisitive Perspectives 2018 Fall has to be one of my favorite times of the year. Despite the cold winter coming, I thoroughly enjoy the sweatshirt weather and candles burning during fall. I find myself being outside a little more and enjoying the colors changing and crisp, fresh air. In recent days, I have especially enjoyed a relaxed and long weekend away from school. I take full advantage of any days not interrupted by having to go to class. Sure, I could have stuck my nose in a book and not seen the light of day all weekend, but I made an effort to enjoy being with family and friends, and oh, my new rescue kitten. I have never been an animal person, and I never saw myself having a cat. During a power outage last week, she hopped off the DTE truck and became my little cuddle bug. In a way I did not think was possible, it is so relaxing and therapeutic being in my own world away from school and playing with Edison. There is something about fall that makes me happy. I cannot quite put my finger on it because it is hard to pick just one favorite part. From the colors to the perfect weather to be outside, there is not that much to not like about it. As hard as it is to let go of summer, and winter is always a dreaded time for me, I am soaking in all of fall and what it has to offer. It is time to sit back and breathe it all in because fall is in the air. Stay Curious, Kayla ©Inquisitive Perspectives 2018 When we are young, the sayings go “the sky is the limit” or “the world is our oyster.” The sayings contribute to our thinking that possibilities are endless, and we are invincible. Although I am not discounting the multitude of possible things to pursue in life, I will argue that the mindset of believing we can do it all is flawed. I was recently asked about how I thought my high school experience was and how that time went for me. I jokingly said that was my prime time and was super involved across the board. As the day went on, I kept thinking about this conversation and compared it to what life looked like then and what it looks like now. It is drastically different, but not so much in a bad way. It was not unusual for me to kick off my day at 6 am and not return home until 9 or 10 later that night. Meetings were always happening for the organizations I belonged to, and events kept me busy at least a few nights a week. Looking back, I often wonder how everything got done. Either my ability to balance it all has decreased, or my priorities and thought process has made a significant shift. I am willing to accept that as I have grown, I have realized that doing anything and everything is nearly impossible while trying to preserve some sanity. Maybe I got trying to do everything out of my system then because if I had to maintain the same level of involvement, something would greatly suffer. Did I reach a point of involvement burn out? Maybe. I gave myself a period of time when I transferred to only go to class and to steer clear of campus life. When my cooling off time passed, I told myself I would dive back into being involved. I thought I was ready to return to my usual regiment, but doors kept closing. I took this as a sign that maybe it was not meant to be to dive head over heels back into such demands, and at this point in my education, I did not need to prove myself in that matter. Now, more than ever, I am glad some of those doors closed. It taught me to take some time out for myself and not be pressured by the demands of outside factors. By being told no, in a way, I was able to learn how to say no in return. I discovered my limits, and I am sticking to those limits. Time is so valuable, and to try to cram everything in would only make life miserable. Less is sometimes more. Stay Curious, Kayla ©Inquisitive Perspectives 2018 I am the queen of thinking ahead and trying to have a plan for everything. I sometimes forget to be present in the moment and enjoy what is happening now. Especially in recent weeks, I let my looking ahead get the best of me, and I had to take a step back to realize that as long as I am doing what I can do today, that is all that matters. I was not able to enjoy the day or even concentrate on what was right in front of me. Planning is still a huge part of who I am, but I had to come to terms with the fact that I cannot plan for things that are completely out of my control. All of the hypothetical situations and ideal outcomes would roll through my head and consume my thoughts. I am still learning to shut that feature off in my brain, but when that starts to happen, I have to force myself to think about all the things that are going well that day or what I have to look forward to in the near future and not years down the road. To others, this may seem like an easy problem to fix, but for me, my entire life has been about planning for what I wanted to do when I grew up. I have always had to think years in advance to ensure my plan would align. It is a hard habit to break, but for the first time in a long time, focusing on the present and only the present is the key to staying grounded. The years I spent planning for my future have paid off because the plan I had is now my reality. I just need to take a moment to thank my younger self and enjoy the present moment. Stay Curious, Kayla ©Inquisitive Perspectives 2018 |
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