365 Days.

Tonight I'm sitting here thinking about how quickly things can change in a year. Three hundred and sixty-five days.

Let's see.... 365 days ago, I wasn't yet an adult. I had never lived independently. Exactly a year ago I graduated from high school! And a year ago from tomorrow I went to prom.

Those were two crazy days... When I graduated, I had no idea how I'd survive through my first year of college, and at prom is when I realized that as terrible as high school was for me, I'd actually miss it.

Now, 365 days later here I am, an adult who has finished her first year of college. Before today, June 26th, it blew my mind being like 'this time a year ago I was still in high school...' It feels like it was SO long ago! Even though I don't feel that different day by day, I have definitely changed so so so much in the past year.

     

So, what's the difference between those two graduation photos (besides the 365 days thing)? Nope, it's not the fact that my eyes are barely open in the second one (IT WAS CRAZY SUNNY OKAY). It's not the fact that I have my roommate standing with me on the right. It has nothing to do with the gown colour, photo shape, or quality. Aha! The fact that I'm significantly better looking in the picture from this year!? CLOSE!

The correct answer iiiiis: the expression on my face. "Ummm..........but Elizabeth, you're smiling in both of the pictures." Precisely! Maybe I kind of look like a derp in both of them; maybe you can't see the difference, but I can. I didn't even realize it until I put both of these pictures into this post. My smile on the left reads 'I'm finished. This is actually over. What in the world am I going to do with my life?!'

And the picture on the right?

It screams joy. I'm saying something more along the lines of, 'This chapter is over, but I have much hope for the future. I still have no idea what I'm going to do with my life, but I know it will be great.'

Whenever I reflect on the past eight months at college, I realize that they were the best eight months of my entire existence. I went through so many different situations, had a LOT of schoolwork, and many a mental breakdown. But the one thing that made it so joyful was that God gave me the most wonderful people. I've known the majority of them for under twelve months, but I can't even imagine my life without them now. I could see God in many of them, and his truths were instilled in me by the ones he surrounded me with. I'm eternally grateful for the friendships that he alone allowed me to make this year. I can only imagine that the next three years of college will be filled with many more God-given relationships.

High school was terrible for me. It filled with so much unnecessary drama, so many toxic people. Going to Bible college was the best decision. Although it's not too far from home for me, it's far enough away that I can make new beginnings and rid myself of all the toxicity that I found myself being suffocated by for the past seven years. 

Back then, I would breathe in and then choke on my surroundings.

After having 365 to experience something completely new, I'm able to breathe deeply and allow fresh air to fill my lungs.

Three hundred and sixty-five days days can seem short, but also long. SO much can change in that time period.

Change. Restoration. New surroundings. New everything. Maybe those 365 days were all that I needed.