lucky duck

"difficulties are opportunities to bigger things; they are stepping stones to greater experience. perhaps someday you will be thankful for some temporary failure in a particular direction. when one door closes, another always opens." 

(etched in stone at central park. cool, eh?)

and so i emerge from a not-so-great week. i coped with a variety of struggles this week, certainly all intended to test me. 

naturally, many of my struggles entailed an element of academia. as a graduate student, it's crunch time. however, my biggest lesson this week was hardly a scholarly affair. and perhaps i should argue it was more of a cue, a reminder of sorts. 

a very special individual was lost last week. it was a painful experience. but, i'll admit i've found comfort in the people she left behind. lauren love was so very lucky to have so many individuals that absolutely idolized her. she impacted everybody she came in contact with, and that... is truly exceptional. 

with that in mind, i'd like to thank those who have had a sincere impact on me. 

i tease my family that i will forever be a student; they just laugh. (i'm partly serious, guys.) around this time in the semester, i'm, admittedly, not a friendly person to be around. it helps to compartmentalize my mind. i get tasks accomplished this way. as a result, i'm snippy. regardless of my less-than-friendly attitude around finals, my family still loves me. my dad still calls me to tell me he's thinking of me; my sister still sends photos of baby kate; and my mother, although receiving the grunt of my collegiate anguish, is still my crutch. 

the girls text me every morning to ask how my day is going, call me to wish me 'good luck' on my exams, fb me: "I MISS YOU," listen to me rant about totally trivial things, and send me greeting cards simply... because. 

and so then... a test was administered. in the face of genuine obstacles - school, work, life, and ultimately - the loss of a loved one - could i see past the immediacy of success, failure, and the loss of hope? and simply accept i'm blessed regardless of what the day has brought? 

i sure can.

my experiences this week reminded me of that. i am one lucky duck.