Hey there 'her time' community! 💓
In my previous post, I gave a little update as to why I took a little break from blogging (which you can find here). One of the reasons is because this semester I am commuting to my destination. Which is about a 3 hour drive round trip. I wanted to to dive into this a little deeper and maybe discuss why I haven't found it to be as bad as I thought it would be and hopefully if any of you are commuting to where you need to be on a daily basis you can either relate or I can help you maybe change your perspective on the idea.
WHY I have to commute:
It all started last year. I am working on my Masters degree in Higher Education at the University of Illinois. On top of being a student, I am also employed by the university as a Graduate Assistant in the office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. This assistantship is perfect for my degree because I am getting real life experience in a job that I hope to acquire someday. That is at least, something with working with students or Greek students in particular to play a role in their development during college. Another positive to this assistantship is that I get a tuition waiver in addition to a stipend. So, it makes getting this degree ultimately free. Can I get an #amen to that! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
This all sounds great so far right? Well, I'm getting to the part where it caused a little confusion for me for a moment of time. The average time it takes to get the degree is 2 years so you are offered the assistantship for a year at a time contract. Last year, I decided that I wanted to graduate a semester early because I only needed two more classes and because I am so ready to be done with school and start my life after just being a student. Another "yay" moment right? The kicker is, the assistantship couldn't be offered to me for only a semester. I had kind of expected that that would be the case, so I decided that I would just commute from home (again it is about an hour and a half away from campus) on the two days that I had class. That wouldn't be bad at all and honestly, it was my only option because I wouldn't be able to afford rent or tuition at that point. 🙃
Well, it was early summer and I got the call from my boss that it turns out some things changed and they were able to offer me the assistantship again for the semester with the tuition waiver and stipend! I totally couldn't turn that offer down butttttt I now had no where to live which has left me commuting back and forth every day of the week instead of just the two I had originally planned for.
There are some major pros and a few cons with this but it is only for a semester and like I said from the start of this post; commuting really isn't so bad. If you think I am a little crazy because you are not enjoying your commute I thought I would share what makes me happy about commuting and then maybe you will be able to realize how fun it can be too! 🎉
One of the major things that has helped me is PODCASTS! Wow! I never got into them until now. Mostly because I haven't had to make long drives before so I never had a period of time where I was just sitting and could listen to something for 40 minutes or so. If you are already into podcasts then you know how freaking bomb they are!! If you aren't, well I'm just going to do a quick run down because I am planning a longer post all about my fave podcasts for you to enjoy. Basically, they have everything you could imagine to listen to; news, comedy, spiritual talk shows, mystery. They have it all and it's nice because you can listen to one and then jump over to something else when you get tired of it.
The second thing is just getting to be alone after a long day and kind of unwind. Right when I get done working or doing things that can be tiring mentally and physically I can get a little moody or snippy. I am being 100% honest with myself and can accept that, yes I know that that can happen. That is why I know that I have ALWAYS had to take some time after to unwind first. Think about my day, make sure I don't feel overwhelmed with anything that has happened or is going to happen and just process. I am a H U G E processor. It helps to calm me and make me feel like I am in control of the situation instead of vice versa. If you tell me something and don't give me time to process it, then it isn't always the most pleasant scene. (I'm working on that). Having this hour and a half drive after work allows me this me time. I can sit in silence, listen to music, sing, whatever I want/need at that moment to unwind.
The last thing for me is God time. I lump that in with some personal development and growth time as well. This is a time I know I have set aside each day to pray to thank God and to just live in the moment with Him. I am trying to get better at just having conversations, like normal conversations with God, so that we have more of a friendship relationship. This time helps me do just that. I also can think about goals for myself and manifest different energies to really try and grow and develop into the person I want to become. It's also a great start to my day at 6:45 AM. Coffee in hand, smile on my fave, and a clear road and clear mind ahead. How could it ever be a bad day? (When you wake up late and forget your coffee, hit the worst rush hour traffic and get a ticket for speeding. That's how...) 😏😉 Just being 100% real here!
For all of these reasons, it had become very important time for me. That is why I have come to love commuting. Ask me in a few months if I still feel the same way though and I'll let you know if it was actually the truth or just my optimistic point of view talking (;
Until next time 😘
Happy Sunday!!!!!
xo,
Kenzie