New Season, but Same Routine?

HAPPY FALL!!! I have literally never seen Tallahassee so collectively happy like it is today. The vibes are simply unmatched now that the temperature has dropped below 85. I can’t even explain how nice it was to walk to class and not be sweaty upon arrival. Anyways, I have an entire notes app list of why I love fall but it really comes down to the familiarity of it. Fall feels safe almost (??), I know there’s always going to be a football game on Friday night, soccer games on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a Sheetz app sampler on Saturday night somewhere between 2-4 am (if you don’t know what Sheetz is, with love.. fix that immediately). Fall for me is usually just trying every seasonal Starbucks drink knowing that I won’t like it, buying enough fall candles to last me all year, and making an absurd amount of questionable thrift store purchases A.K.A. a good time.

But fall looks different this year. Now this shouldn’t surprise me seeing as it was no secret that eventually I’d leave high school and everything it brought behind, but somehow it did. So far in college, I’ve learned how easy it is to fall into a routine. A really, really mundane one. I see the same 10 people dragging their feet to the dining hall every morning before our 8 ams, and eat the same unsatisfactory breakfast everyday. It’s hard to not feel like each day is a checklist; assignments that need completed, flashcards that need memorized, and a Brita that needs refilled. While on my walk today, I was listening to my beloved fall playlist that I'm so generously sharing with you all - it's curated to perfection trust me. But while I was listening I heard a lyric that hit home with this whole “routine situation” I’m experiencing.

There’s a song called By and By by Caamp on the playlist and it has a lyric that inspired this whole post that asks “are you a life force?”. It’s repeated a lot throughout the song so I couldn’t really escape that question and it got me thinking. I thought about what it even meant to be a “life force” and if I was one or not. I thought about my daily interactions with people and the mindset I subconsciously go about my days with. A lot of the time I feel like I’m waiting for a certain season or for something to happen to be the best version of myself; the version that’s intentional, the version that gives people the time of day, the version that will happily go out of her way for others. I feel like so many of us go through the motions of our days without ever truly being awake. We get caught up in our own lives - who we need to see that day and where we need to go. I know that your Tuesdays may always be class til 11, spin class at 2, work at 5 and booking it home after to hopefully be in bed by 10 (or something of that nature). It may even feel like your days are out of your control, like nothing you go to is because you want to actually be there, but because you have to be. But, think of how many people you interact with throughout those days. The cashiers, your clients, your coworkers, the people behind you in the grocery store line. They probably feel the exact same way you do. Tired, bored, burnt out. We forget the power we have. A simple smile, a genuine compliment, something as small as coming up with literally any other response than “good” when someone asks how you are. That can change your entire day. Maybe it’s what sparks a friendship, maybe it's the only good conversation they’ll have that day, it’s so simple - just make people feel heard and loved! It’s what will make just another day turn into a good day. I guess what I’m trying to say is that at the end of the day it’s not a place, a thing, or any amount of money that’s going to carry you from day to day, it’s people! There’s 7.6 BILLION people in the world and it can be such a lonely place. Sometimes all people need is just one person to take interest in them, someone to ask how they’re doing and then actually listen. Remember that at the end of the day we’re not all that different and we’re all just walking each other home.

With that being said, you have to be what you want to attract. If you want genuine friendships, meaningful interactions, and things to break up the monotony of your days - be that! You get out what you put in so be a life force!! I know it feels like just another day, but our feelings are not our reality. The reality of today is that you have the power to change someone’s life if you just become aware of that power. Today matters. It’s not just another Thursday, it’s not “Thirsty Thursday”, it’s a Thursday night in college!!! It’s Thursday night at a job you worked so hard for!!! It’s a Thursday night in your home you dreamt about!!! You are currently living out at least one prayer you used to pray! Bring life into every situation you’re in. So many of us (me included!!!) get caught up in our to do lists and obligations and forget where we are in life and how this time is constantly passing by. So now with every place you go, take responsibility for the energy that you bring into that space. Are you bringing life or are you taking it? Are you a life force?

Hope that made sense :D enjoy the playlist linked below and text me what your favorite song from it is :)

Apple Music

Spotify