{"id":107,"date":"2014-04-24T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-24T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emlajolie.com\/?p=107"},"modified":"2021-06-11T04:48:14","modified_gmt":"2021-06-11T04:48:14","slug":"on-sleeping-with-the-window-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emlajolie.com\/2014\/04\/on-sleeping-with-the-window-open\/","title":{"rendered":"on sleeping with the window open"},"content":{"rendered":"
April 24, 2014<\/em> \u2013 It’s been a while since I’ve written for myself, possibly even as long as it had been since I’d slept with the windows open up until a couple of days ago. <\/p>\n I have been the luckiest person during the past month. Getting accepted into my dream study abroad program in Paris, passing all my finals, traveling to Berlin and back (safely, I might add), juggling work and my social life, finally finding the perfect jeans (thank you, Gap), some kind soul returning my lost train U-Pass, being able to see my parents, spending the Easter holiday with my best friend, and kicking off spring in good health!<\/p>\n I know I don’t stop to think about how much I have going for me at every moment, but I definitely try to put it into perspective once a day. There is little that is more important to me about my education than keeping my humility through it all. And when I read numerous articles on globalization and the conditions of other countries and my own country’s past, it tends to turn me cynical to a point of no return. So my biggest challenge to myself lately has been reflection – and maybe this is going along with my goal of bringing meditation into my world<\/a> – on things that I am learning and how I will use them for good. Whether it is the Peace Corps or ESL or even a 9-to-5 job that I’ll have after college, I won’t accept anything less than something that will allow me to lend my knowledge to others.<\/p>\n It amazes me every day how far we’ve all come in the last years. My brother is married, my cousin just had a child, my best friends from home are almost graduated, and I’m living in a big city with the greatest roommates a girl could ask for.<\/p>\n But what’s more, is that it pushes me to go further. A year and a half ago, I wouldn’t have wanted anyone to read my writing – I was so conscious of what people might think and if they would confront me. Now, I love pressing that “share” button so people can read what is running through my head.<\/p>\n And I love thinking of what I’ll say about my former self when another year and a half has passed…even if I will be an almost-graduate then – yikes!<\/p>\n I guess what I’m getting at is that through the materialistic, chronological, stereotypical content I post on here, there should always be the occasional burst of fresh air. And perhaps I just needed a literal one to remind me that I’ve been slacking in that department.<\/p>\n XO, April 24, 2014 \u2013 It’s been a while since I’ve written for myself, possibly even as long as it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[]},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nSo I figured if the weather was warming up, I would too.<\/p>\n
\nEm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"