I Graduated

It has been a while since my last update. Allow me to fill you in on the highlights of the last few weeks. First off, I graduated! I wanted to wait to post something about this. Despite celebrating my graduation in May, I didn’t finish my degree until last week. As of last Friday, I am completely finished and a college graduate with a BA in Theatre. This feels incredibly exciting. Not just because I graduated college but because I did it while battling with my health.

The last four years have taught me a ton. Not only about theatre and education but more than anything, it has taught me about myself. I have faced unspeakable obstacles that gave me a run for my money. Despite ten hospitalizations, seven surgeries, four ICU stays, a boatload of ER visits, I finished my degree in four years. I am so proud of myself.

It’s hard to state that I did that in a short amount of time, without sounding like I’m setting a standard for disabled people. Doing all of that in four years, quite literally, almost killed me. I chose to not take breaks. I chose to struggle intensely. I chose to risk my health to be on my own timeline. Even still, I didn’t finish when I wanted to. I was supposed to finish last Spring and I didn’t. That wasn’t my choice, it wasn’t what I wanted but the reality is, I think everything happens for a reason. 

Like most people, Covid has done a number on me. That being said, Covid has helped me grow. It’s helped me to identify my own personal decisions, find my voice, and assert myself where I feel necessary. It’s challenged my relationships and made life more difficult in every way but ultimately, I have a lot of positive takeaways. 

Everything in my life is a learning lesson. Some of those are positive, some of those are negative. I think while trying to live in black and white, I found a wonderful grey and that’s where I’m trying to live now. It’s not easy, it makes me anxious at times but overall it has really filled my world with color. 

All of this to say, I did it. I graduated. I survived. That is something I really didn’t know if I would get to say but here we are. I want to thank everyone who has held my hand along the way. It’s been a gift to have you with me on this journey. If you’d like to watch my senior project, it’s posted on my blog. It’s all about my path of becoming disabled and how I got from one place to the other. I probably articulated my feelings there better than here. 

Now that I’m done with school, I anticipate going back to my original posting schedule. Thank you for your patience. 

I hope that you’re having a wonderful day. I hope that your day is filled with joy, positivity, and laughter. I hope you find peace, love, and happiness.