I recently started my final undergraduate year. That statement makes me both excited and scared for what's to come in the next year.
One part of knowing I'm going to leave this amazing place this May is that I have a minor bucket list of things I want to do before I graduate and move onto the adult world.
One of the things on the list is becoming a healthier me. I don't necessarily want to loose weight - I'm not on a diet - I want to be overall more healthy.
The first part of that sounds like a diet. I'm trying to make better food choices (protein and fruit/veggies instead of carbs) and I'm also trying to work out more. I even joined a triathlon club here on campus.
However the second part isn't much like a diet at all. While I'm working on making my body more healthy, I want to make my mind more healthy. I'm going to a youth group on campus, but I'm also working on my depression and anxiety a lot. And I'm finding inspiration in new places every day.
This week, I found amazing inspiration in a brand new place.
The Clairity Project is a website/vlog everybody needs to check out. Claire Wineland is dying. She has cystic fibrosis (watch her videos for more details on this). She was the first CF kids to come out of a medically-induced coma with an oscillator.
But more than her illness and her story is her life. She wants to be a public speaker and, damn, she's good at it. Her youtube videos are funny and serious at the same time and her personality and smile are infectious.
She makes me realize that I have a body that will allow me to get up and live each day and to not take that for granted. I could die tomorrow crossing the road. I shouldn't let my brain get in the way of my body just like she doesn't let her body get in the way of her brain.
https://youtu.be/ekmbA5UYuuEHere's a small introduction to Claire and her story.
As I go on this health journey, I think I need to remember that I'm just a button in the jar. There are more people with amazing stories in this world.
So I'll leave you here with a few quotes from Claire:
"So let’s just live in the moment."
"My challenge to you: Start looking at your challenges as friends that are going to help you grow."
