A Sign of the Times...

Pure bliss :) How can you not believe in true love after witnessing a day like that?! (Photo courtesy of people.com...CLARO)

So it is now more than two weeks after the royal wedding, and, since I've essentially been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, I have been remiss in writing about it. Since we all know that my posts tend to get a bit lengthy, I'll just say a few words about it. The wedding day was, for hopeless romantics such as myself, the most magical of days. Kate was, I believe, one of the most stunning brides that I have ever seen. I would not necessarily wear her dress myself, but it was perfect for the location and the tone of the occasion. William was simply dashing (the scarlet uniform definitely didn't hurt!!!), and he and Kate looked like they are madly in love. I know that, to some people, it is so frivolous to care so much about an event that actually cost English taxpayers money, but, with so little happy news these days, to be able to witness the crowning (no pun intended) day of a beautiful love story is a breath of fresh air. I truly do hope that the newlyweds breathe fresh air into the often-stuffy monarchy and do things by their own rules.

Three short days after the wedding, I awoke to the news that a team of U.S. Navy SEALS had killed Osama bin Laden after a near-decade-long search. I can definitely say that I had a mixed opinion about the event that so many used as an excuse for revelry. On the one hand, I certainly agree with President Obama's statement that "justice was done" and that his death may serve as some comfort to the families of those for whose deaths he is, be it indirectly or directly, responsible. The man was a monster and distorted a religious doctrine to the point where it no longer resembled the spirit of that religion. However, he was still a human being, so the fact that so many people my age flocked to the White House and fêted his death seemed to me to almost make light of his death. I am of the opinion that celebrating the death of another human is simply tasteless, and, in fact, debases those who celebrate it to bin Laden's level.

Anyway, enough of current (or, rather, recent past) events. The reason I entitled this post "A Sign of the Times" is that I've been feeling a little bit out of my element. For the past few weeks, I have been feeling so overscheduled and exhausted that I feel like time is just flying by without me really taking the time to appreciate it. Whereas, in the fall and winter, I liked to take at least a night or two after work to relax and do something for myself, like read or watch a movie, now I find that I have something scheduled every night. 'Oh, poor little whiney girl, can't appreciate how good she has it,' you may be thinking, and don't get me wrong, I don't want to whine, but I guess I feel like I'm having trouble balancing everything, that I literally can't live without my planner because I can't keep everything straight. I guess I want to make sure I'm enjoying everything I'm doing, not simply running from one event to the next. On Saturday night, I took a detox night and went and stayed with my parents at the new house. Don't misunderstand me, it was wonderful to be able to stay with them and relax, but it shouldn't get to the point where I need to extricate myself from my normal environment to get a good night's sleep. So my goal heading into what will likely be a busy summer is to choose after-work activities that truly bring me joy and be in the moment so as not to take those experiences for granted.

Lastly (and then I will end this long entry), this weekend marks the one-year anniversary of my graduation from Georgetown. I have dreaded May 22nd for quite some time, because, at that point, I will no longer be able to say, "I graduated in May." I will now be forced to say, "I graduated in 2010." Despite all of my anxiety over the fact that friends have become more scattered, some friendships have fallen by the wayside and memories from the Hilltop have started to become less relevant, I feel so blessed for everything I have. Molly and I were saying today that, if you had told us at this time last year that everything that has happened to us in the past year would happen, we would have laughed in your face. For better or worse, good changes or bad, this year has been one of incredible growth for me, a year in which I've gotten to know myself, others and my city more than I thought imaginable. I owe this continual journey of self-discovery to my incredible family and friends old and new, so thank you, dear readers, if you have played a part in it. Finally, HOYA SAXA and GEORGETOWN FOREVER!!!!!!

I am still in disbelief that this was a year ago. I love all of you so much <3