A "farewell" to the old me

When my alarm went off this morning, I didn't hit snooze four times. I shut off the noisy contraption, checked social media/emails for a few minutes, and got out of bed. As I sit here writing this blog post, I am monitoring a classroom and sipping on Starbucks (that I got up early enough to purchase before work). My hair is dry and styled, my outfit wrinkle free, my make up on.

When I get home from work this afternoon, I'll feed and play with my dog, work out to one of my Zumba videos, and begin dinner for Kyle and I. We will eat around 5:15, take the puppy on a walk, and I will spend the rest of the evening talking with my husband, studying for my upcoming GACE exam, and probably watching a little Netflix. Chances are I'll be in bed by 9:15.

This is who I am today, and it's a far cry from who I was. Anyone who knew me growing up can tell you that I was notorious for being late, sleeping through the afternoon, eating Mcdonalds every other meal, and showing up to social events with my hair still soaking wet from a last minute shower. That was the old me.

But that's the beauty of being a living breathing human being, isn't it? We change, evolve, and grow every single day. To define a person by who they were 10, 7, or even 2 years ago would simply be misinformed. Sure, there are certain traits that I'll carry with me no matter what changes: a little shy/awkward depending on my mood, addicted to sushi, sarcastic to the core, oddly in love with animals, etc. But the things about myself that could use improvement, well, I work on those as often as I can. That's what has led me to this point.

When I run into old friends (and sometimes even family) and tell them about what I've been up to, their eyes widen, they let out a chuckle and say something along the lines of, "Yeah right. You would never do that."


I politely smile and laugh along with them - not because they're right, but because I've just been given the opportunity to prove them wrong.


And I take advantage of it every single time.