${gotBlog.title}

Good-Bye 2009!

Posted by Chelsea Stack on Dec. 28, 2009 | 2 comments

Transitions

In my past three years of blogging for Oak Creek NOW, I've experienced numerous transitions and learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. That's what your twenties are for, right? Writing for My Community NOW for those past three years has shaped me as writer, immensely, and for that I am eternally grateful.

For the first two years, I blogged under "The O.C. Campus Corner", writing about what life was like for a college student. Then, when I graduated last year from UW-Whitewater with my Bachelor of Arts in Print-Journalism and a minor in Health and Family Studies, I knew that "The O.C. Campus Corner" would have to come to an end. I was then offered a new blogging opportunity to share my experiences as a college grad, so I ,of course, accepted such an amazing endeavor and don't regret the decision one bit.

However, I wasn't aware of how challenging it would be to provide support and helpful information to my struggling peers when at the same time, I was struggling myself. It took so much out of me. The topics that I really wanted to write about always seemed to be questions that I was wondering the answers to myself. In the process, while trying to find these unanswered questions, I was unable to put as much time and effort into my blogs than I would have liked to. For that, my readers, I apologize.

That being said, since I graduated one year ago this month, this will be my last post for "Facing Reality: Life After College".
 
By accepting this incredible task, I had no idea how difficult it would actually be nor how much I would grow as an adult in the process. I volunteered and became blown away by the challenge of slowly discovering what life really is like after college. The harsh truth of facing reality. I literally "faced reality" and wasn't prepared at all. I felt like I knew it all and it would be a "piece of cake" when I first accepted my new blog assignment. I hoped it would open more doors for myself as well as help relate to other college grads and give them some guidance and hope after graduating into such a gloomy economy.

However, I quickly began to feel overwhelmed with all of my new responsibilities, and I began to learn that sometimes I just need to say "No". The transitions that I faced throughout this year were numerous. I graduated from college, applied and interviewed for several positions, started working at my first full-time yet temporary job, I purchased a new car and traded in the car that I’ve had since high school, and I stood up in two weddings. I also moved out of my parents' house and into my first apartment, lived alone for the first three months, roomed with one of my best friends for the second three months, I lived alone again for that last month and now I’m going to be rooming with another close friend next month. While all of this was going on, I was planning to move to Illinois with my boyfriend of four years and get a writing position in Chicago, then our relationship ended shortly before we made that commitment earlier this past summer and thankfully my position at my current temporary job was extended around the same time. In the process of all of these post-college transitions, I learned more about myself and experienced more than I ever had before in my entire life.

Besides learning to say "No" more often, I've also learned to slow down more, by taking more time for myself and making a great effort to relax every night after work. I've learned to find something positive about every single day, so that I can keep moving forward despite the unexpected life storms that tend to brew at the absolute worst times. I've learned to try new things, to volunteer more and pick up new hobbies. To spend more time with my dog, my family, my grandparents, children that I babysit for and my friends. I've learned to make each and every day both productive and fun. I've learned to accept who I am and appreciate the people around me for who they are. I've learned that you can't always plan everything and that when you least expect it, the things you didn't plan for end up turning out better than the ones that you did. I've learned to be passionate about what I love to do and to not settle for anything less than extraordinary. I've learned to focus more on the process rather than the goal itself. I've learned to follow my dreams regardless of how challenging that might be right now, because I know that when I'm achieving my goals... I feel like myself. I feel happy and successful, even if I'm struggling financially and even if no one believes in me. I know that it's what I need to do for myself and the satisfaction of that at the end of the day is what my makes my decision so beautiful.

Thank you for reading and following my two blogs throughout these past three years. Thank you for your comments and opinions. Thank you for giving me an opportunity that ultimately led to my own self discovery and changed me immensely both as a writer and as a person.

Thank you,

Chels