I’m realizing more and more that life is incredibly stressful. It doesn’t have to be that way though. As time goes on, my schedule is becoming increasingly hectic. The stress doesn’t have to get to me though. All I have to do is enjoy everything that I do.

My first job is a student. I am a part time student. I am taking six credits at my local community college. I love my classes and they are really rewarding. However, I have to wake up at 5:20 AM. The reason that I wake up that early is because I have to take two buses to get to class. The buses where I live aren’t reliable. Early in the morning is the best time to get the bus. Class starts at 8 AM on Mondays and Wednesdays. My other class starts at 8:30 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’m out of class by 11:00 the latest.

I’m employed part time also. Bath and Body Works in the mall is where I work. It’s not the greatest because I’m always on call. Sometimes, I go a week without working. It’s stressful because I don’t have a steady stream of income coming in. My goal is to save up enough money to move out of my childhood home and into a modest apartment in a metropolitan area. I’m not sure where yet. Moving out of the suburbs of New York is my dream right now.

I’m also a writer. Not only do I write for The Odyssey, I also am a fiction writer. I decided to do National Novel Writing Month. The end goal for NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000 word draft of a novel that’s completely original. I have attempted one other time. I only wrote about 23,000 words. It was about authors coming back from the dead and the feeling of horrific embarrassment that overtook them. I have since forgot about that novel.

This November, I am going to take on the challenge again. It’s going to be a daunting challenge. I have never attempted NaNoWriMo in my college career. However, I feel 100 percent ready to do this. I have a team of people willing to support me no matter what. If I don’t meet the word goal.

Even though I have a lot of stuff going on, I am optimistic and hopeful. I believe in myself and my ability to get things done.