What I Have Learned

from reading blogs. Reading blogs is a recent obsession of mine. Yes, I do use the diagnosis of obsession seeing as I read about 25 blogs regularly and am on the hunt for more interesting online journals daily. Why, you ask? Well, this summer I had the opportunity to be an intern at Fort Belvoir in Lorton, VA. My position, and as most other interns it seems, mainly consisted of data entry, shredding paper and sending faxes. For 40 hours a week (you can understand now why I am SO excited for school to start next week). The office I work in is pretty slow and as a result there really isn't anything to do most of the time. In fact, I am regularly chastised by my coworkers for being "too efficient" and need to "pace my work so it will last longer". My question is, how on earth can I space out fifteen documents to be printed, scanned and filed over an eight hour period?! So, with all of my down time this summer, I have had the opportunity to turn to the internet for entertainment, and it's not like I can go onto youtube and watch movies or anything, so I started reading blogs. I would just find a random one that was pretty witty or the story of a cute young married couple and just read away. It was proof that at least some people out in the world were having a summer...

So yes, that is how my obsession began. And that is how the list of blogs I read grew to be so long, and I probably only actually know about 10% of the people on there (my family has yet to join the phenomena).

Now back to my original topic, what I have learned from reading blogs. I would have to say the number one thing I have learned is how important it is to not judge people. There are so many different people out there, each with their individual story and past and reading just a little bit about their lives and opinions and stories has given me an appreciation of just how different we all are and how important it is to respect each other for those differences.

Another thing I have learned is to not concentrate so hard on entering the next stage of life. I often feel like ok, so I'm now in college, time to get married and start popping out the kids. I need to buy my first car. I need to build credit. It's about time I started investing in the stock market and oh my, real estate. If I don't start now, with the way the economy is, I have no financial future to speak of! Yes, I do have a tendency to blow things out of proportion. Anyway, from reading about people who are in those stages I have yet to reach, yeah, it all sounds like tons of fun, but honestly, it really just sounds really hard. I'm sure it's fun to have a husband come home to you and then you get to chill with your best friend all of the time. But with a husband comes laundry for two, cooking for two, rent for two, etc. And I am just getting used to all of those things for ONE. And credit cards. I can't tell you how many of my friends that are my age and are already thousands of dollars in credit card debt. I know my own limitations, and I know that I love shopping far too much and lack self control, not to mention the funds, to buy into that whole have now pay later idea.

Needless to say, I'm learning to enjoy the stage of life I'm in. Yes, it is definitely the most confusing period of my life. I'm an "adult" I guess, but then again I'm not. But I'm not a teenager. I live away from home, but I still have a bed and books and clothes at my parents house. I'm in the period of my life where "I will make the most important decisions that will affect me for the rest of my life, even for eternity". No pressure right? But you know what, it's all pretty exciting too. And I'm not gonna lie, I'm loving it. It's hard and scary, but it's also the most exciting time of my life.

So thanks fellow bloggers. Thank you for letting me look into your life and for showing me what I have to look forward to and giving me opportunities to reflect on myself as a person.

Now, please no one go private... that is so stinking frustrating... just when I get hooked... :)