Balance and Baseball

Holy moly!!! Our team won the World Series for the 3rd time in 5 years! I was born and raised in the SF Bay Area, so the Giants have always been a huge part of the culture in our area. My dad and I went to a game back in September and it was truly one of my favorite memories. Going to the ballpark with my old man, looking out over the Bay on a beautiful sunny afternoon and just enjoying the camaraderie of all the excited fans. The last time I had been at a game was in 2012!

My housemates and I have been watching every game since we all moved in together (two of them are from San Francisco) and it's been something that I look forward to after a long day of school. Plus, our team colors were perfect for getting everyone in the spirit of Halloween!
I didn't actually get to watch the whole game last night as I had a meeting, but my housemate texted me as soon as we won and I announced the win to everyone in the room. We all erupted in excited cheers, it was great! I so wish I could go to the parade tomorrow, but school has priority :(

Other than baseball, things have been a little overwhelming lately. I can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but last year was incredibly difficult for me in terms of finding balance. I was traveling at least 3 weekends a month, babysitting a ton, and trying to keep up with my volunteer position as Lieutenant Governor for Circle K. I had no energy for studying, and keeping up in all my classes was so hard. I felt guilty and ashamed of how awful I was doing and it was nothing short of miraculous when I found out I had passed all of my classes. I used to be 4.0 student, so this was a huge shift for me and it was really hard to digest.

As this summer came to a close, I was getting more and more excited for school. I wanted to use this last year to really focus on my studies while still finding time for the activities that enrich my life. I absolutely love volunteering and I use it as a stress reliever, so I try and attend at least one project per week. It also serves as a great time to socialize and reconnect with the friends I've made in Circle K throughout the years. But it does take time, and with the amount of homework I've had so far this quarter, time has been my biggest enemy.

Things have been a little rough at home (as in home home, I'll spare you the details), so being able to focus on my studies while still getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising and making time to enjoy life, has been really rough. By the time Friday rolls around, I am exhausted and my brain is totally fried. I want to saturate my weekends in "me" time, but right now it's just not possible. Like I said, I still try and carve out a few hours for volunteering, and I would be lying if I said my roommate and I didn't take unplanned study breaks, but for the most part, it's all about the academics right now. Finding balance is tough, but I know that 7 months from now when I'm walking across the stage, it will all have been worth it. As Dori would say, "Just keep swimming!"