The calendar says it's August. This can only mean one thing: the dining room has transformed from peaceful to frenzied. Books, bags of clothing, and boxes clutter a far corner near the windows. It's taken me four years to perfect the art of packing light for the semester; we'll see if I've succeeded when I load the car in a few minutes.
While finishing the last of my packing, I realized I hadn't remembered pants (now that I think of it, Williamsburg is pretty balmy until mid-October... do I really need to bring them?). I set off upstairs to find some.
Jeans or khakis? I mused.
But then it hit me: I have a choice. I can choose either to bring jeans - or khakis. Or both! Or neither!
This skirt, or that one.
Flats, or sneakers.
Thousands of other twenty-two-year-old girls don't have these choices: they wear the same outfit everyday, the same one they were given two months ago from the truck carrying charity donations. Still other girls have vastly different (and much more difficult) choices:
Should I give up on this pregnancy, or should I give up my baby for adoption?
Should I stay in college, or should I drop out and take care of my father?
Does my sick baby get fed dinner tonight, or do I eat dinner tonight?
Do I escape this abusive relationship, or do I stay with what seems like the only man who shows me the attention I crave?
Do I stay in my village with my family and risk being bombed, or do I run across the border to safety and freedom?
I am a college senior at a top university. I have two loving parents who encourage me to follow my dreams. I have an older sister who cares for me. I can vote. I can drive. I can read. I can show my face in public. I can practice my faith without shame or fear of persecution. I can voice my opinions, even if they aren't shared by the majority. I can walk. I can laugh. I can love...
I am thankful. :)
"Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more."
(quote by Anthony Robbins)
