~Finding God::13~

How much of an apple do you eat?

No, really, think about it. Do you cut it using the handy apple-cutter and leave the center core with some still on it? Do you eat around the edges until you get too close to the core to care anymore? Do you leave the overhang at the top and bottom becuase you're too afraid to get too close to the stem or that weird thing on the underside of the apple? Does it look like that one?

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How much do you get out of life? Are you stuck in an office 8-5, following the same schedule daily? Do you enjoy your time with your family? Do you wait anxiously at your computer for the next email just so you have something to do? Do you get out of the house?

Needless to say, that was me before I came to New Zealand. Sitting by the computer, not enjoying my time with my family, eating only part of the apple. By coming here I have finally figured out that life is more than sitting at the computer waiting for an email, or being attached to my phone, waiting for the next text. It is good to keep in touch, yes, but there's so much more to life. I can't kick myself for not living life because I have been, just not to the fullest. Being in New Zealand has made me realize how much potential the world has. It has helped me become more active and enjoy myself more than ever. I was only eating part of the apple, missing out on the little bits that are just as good, if not better than the rest of the apple.

God has this marvelous life planned out for all of us. We have so much potential... we need to find the opportunities and take hold of them as often as we can because who knows how long they will be around.

I just found out that I'm supposed to be off campus June 27th, but can stay for $30 NZD a night; however, my flight is scheduled for June 30th. So i called the travel company and they haven't been able to find any domestic flights from LA-DTW to change to, so I may just be here for a few more days with "nothing" to do. I need to suck it up and stick with my flight. I get in homesick moods and then get really excited to get home. If I wasn't so homesick at this moment, I would be fine with being around for a few more days. My rationale was that I had a free flight change, and it cost money to stay some extra nights. So I'll try back in a few days and see if anything has changed, and we'll figure it out then. Besides, I may want to stick around anyway.

The point of this story is that I found God in one of my friends here at Waikato. Her name is Anna and she is my RA. Everytime I manage to update my Facebook status (for those of you who aren't facebook savvy, it just means I put up a little blurb about how i'm feeling or what I'm doing) and say something in reference to frustration, sadness, anxiety, whatever it may be, she constantly has words to help me. Today we talked about my plane issue and she encouraged me to enjoy it while i'm here. She said, "You are already here and there's nothing you can do to change it, so might as well enjoy it!" She's right. I'm going home when I'm going home and that's all there is to it. A wise friend once said to me, "Be homesick. It's ok. Just know that we will all be here when you return." That is what has kept me going the most. I even realized that even though spring break was an amazing two weeks, I still had yearnings to come back to Uni because it was familiar and because I had work to do. Who knows how the Good Lord puts up with me. I got back and realized that break was fabulous and that I'm going to miss our road trip moments, the amazing sights, the food, the laughs, and the adventure of hostels. It was a wonderful time, and I wish it hadn't gone by so fast. I know I'm going to feel that way in the end of being here in NZ.

There is a lot of school work that separates me and the end of the semester and the school week seems to fly by here (unlike at home, where the week goes by slow and weekend fast). This just means I have to get my work done the best I can, not stress about getting A's and enjoy my time.

I challenge you too to live your life.

Eat more of the apple.