Recently, I've been talking to my friend on my floor this year, who I've gotten pretty close to especially this last month. She's very different then anyone I seem to know around here. She is a very in depth thinker and really thinks about people and the things around her, which is exactly what I enjoy exploring. She challenges my creativity and my thoughts, and I think that it's really nice to have someone in your life who can do that. It's nice to know that when you sit down and talk to her, you know she will understand the way you think and will provide good insight into what she thinks or feels. I'm so extremely grateful to know this gorgeous human being that I'm so lucky to call my friend.
Today, we were talking pretty casually, but it was amazing because we suddenly got into a meaningful conversation. We talked about communication and creativity in schools and the way others tend to be so different then us. I really want to explain these points because I think they were really interesting conversations.
First and foremost, we started talking about in college we have longed for the need to have a REAL conversation. Everyone is so into their education and their studies that they are too busy to really look around them; to take in the experience. To meet amazing people. I feel like a lot of times we become friends with someone and all of a sudden we become comfortable with that person and never grow in our relationship. Me and my friend are people who love to notice those little, important things about people. Even one of my other friends can tell you that I literally pick apart her room just to figure out more about her. For me, that growing never stops. But I feel like in college we become so focused on everything around us that we don't look around and actually SEE the place we live in. I get it, college is important and it depends on our future career, but it's also an experience that shapes us for the rest of our life. We meet people that we will be lifelong friends with. Why wouldn't we want to take the time to listen to them and to learn more about them? I challenge everyone to look and listen. Really listen. See that person, what matters to them, what there goal in life is, what that picture of their grandma is doing on their bulletin board, or even what there favorite love language is. Learn how to love that person. But before you can do that, really start noticing them and the things around them. It will surprise you how much you can learn about a person if you just look and listen.
Another thing we talked about kind of connects with the last one. We talked about communication. Communication is something we learn at birth. It's something that never stops throughout our entire lives, yet it's something so understated and easily not done. There are so many problems that go on that could simply be fixed if there were communication. College you see so much of this, whether it's with roommate situations or just talking to friends. Surprisingly (not), me and my friend haven't had an issue with this at all this year. Why? BECAUSE WE ARE OPEN TO COMMUNICATION. It's amazing how much that can do for ya. I even had a friend today that came into my room to tell me I offended her when I said something. I wasn't mad at her at all. I was so grateful that she pointed me out on it and had the courage to confront me. If she wouldn't have, who knows, I may have offended her time and time again. Now I know the problem, and can stop it. I think also, however, communication is something that needs to be encouraged growing up. If you aren't encouraged to communicate growing up, you are going to have a very difficult time. So just be open to communicate and take those steps into communicating more with people. It can really clear a lot of things up and make you feel so much more relief.
The last thing that we brought up a little bit was about school systems. We are both very strongly opinionated on this subject because we want to become teachers in the future. Something that really struck out to us was home much creativity is so lost. It is so evident in college right now. It's like you are stuck in this same routine to where you don't have anything creative you can do because you don't have time. It makes you wonder where that creativity got lost. Many, when they were young, were able to be creative: play with their cars, build towers out of blocks, color pictures using their imagination, etc. But where did it go? My opinion, is that it went down the drain the moment we started school. We get thrown in this routine day in and day out and to be quite honest, it's exhausting and it shouldn't be this way. My friend and I brought up the question that "What if creativity was always kept? Always encouraged?" Think about that. We were able to use our own imagination to become innovative, think outside the box instead of having some fixed answer. Do you know how much America would change? Not only in our academics but just the expression of individuality. I don't think conformity would be as big of an issue as it is today if we were just able to encourage creativity in the classroom. It makes me so happy to just think how much creativity that I and my other friend can instill in the classroom for the hope of the next generation.
All in all, today was a pretty good day. I am so freaking happy to have amazing friends on this floor, but today, specifically (and always), I am forever grateful to have gotten closer to a very good friend. It's an amazing feeling when you find that one person who just knows how to think like you and connect with you. I love you girlie </3
"Show the world you've got that fire, feel the rhythm getting louder,
Show the room what you can do, prove to them you've got the moves,
I don't know about you, but I feel better when I'm dancing."
"Better When I'm Dancing" By Meghan Trainor
