I recently spent Spring Break in California with my best friend and her family. And let me tell you it was exactly what I needed in life: relaxing, carefree, and full of great food (honestly the whole trip revolved around food and I am now in love with taco trucks). I came back to school feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on life. As I think back on my trip, several good memories come to mind. For example, we went country line dancing with the whole family, went up to the mountains with her grandparents, and went exploring along the rivers. But more importantly, I realized that California contained several lessons that God was using to prepare me for an even bigger adventure: The World Race.
So here are 5 important lessons California taught me:
- There is nothing like being surrounded by family and genuine friendship to build you up and help get you back on track. Not gonna lie, before this trip I was feeling pretty discouraged about things but being around so much love gave me the energy I needed to get through the rest of the semester.
- You only live each day once. This may seem kind of cliché or even pretty obvious but as each day passed and the week came closer and closer to ending I gained a new appreciation for each day. You never know where you will be in the next week, month, or even year. Things can change in a split second and you don’t get to live any day over. I need to be better about being present in the moment and appreciating each day as it comes.
- Food is one of the easiest ways to bring people together and break the ice with new relationships. I’m not exaggerating when I say this entire break revolved around food and it was absolutely amazing. I sometimes feel awkward the first time I meet a new person, and I met a lot of new people this past week, but when you come together and share a meal with someone it builds a sense of community that didn’t exist before…And taco trucks are the best way to do this!
- Getting down and dirty with manual labor may be hard work, but it is still important work. This lesson was more a reminder for me than anything. I grew up on ranches so I’m well accustomed to working hard in the sun and the sweat, but as I’ve been in college I haven’t really had to experience that as much. Then I go to California for a “break” and I find myself up on rooftops cleaning gutters, on ladders washing windows, and outside chopping/hauling a mountain of wood. Nothing about that sounds relaxing or like a break at all, and yet I think it was one of the best things I did with my break. Hard work makes you appreciate the little things in life and serving others in that way provides a sense of fulfillment that is difficult to find anywhere else.
- Last, but certainly not least, California taught me that I need to get much better at packing before attempting to live out of one bag for a whole year! I am notorious for overpacking; it was almost comical how much I packed for just one week and I can already tell this is going to need some work.
