Living in the Present

Hello everyone :)

Today was a pretty stressful day. I am in the middle of the process of applying to become a Resident Assistant (RA). There is a lot of competition, they said yesterday that there are two applicants to every position, and a lot of girls applying, which makes it even tougher for me. I can surely say now, that St. Mike's really wants the best possible RAs, as the process to getting to become an RA is pretty intense.

Last Friday, we had to submit a Resume, Cover Letter, and a six page application. On Monday, everyone that applied had to go to a kick off event. At the kick off, we heard from some Res. Life staff members, current RAs, ACAs (basically RAs for the apartments and townhouses) and RDs (Residence Directors). We did some team building activities and got a chance to ask questions. Now all that's left for me to do is go through two interviews- one with my RD and one with a panel of current RAs and RDs. I am really nervous about these interviews, but I'm also hoping that they will be a great chance to show the staff members just how much I want this.

This afternoon, I felt a lot of anxiety over the interviews and the process in general... and I realized how silly it truly was. At this point, there is nothing I can actively do, and worrying isn't getting me anywhere! I decided that to relieve some stress, I would attend the Mindfulness Meditation that happens every Tuesday in the Upper Room of the Chapel. I went to the Meditations a lot last semester, but didn't make it to the last few because I was pretty busy. I had yet to make it one this semester, and decided today was the day.

Image from here

Mindfulness Meditation is run by Linda, one of the staff members from Personal Counseling from 4:45-5:45. We do two sittings of meditation- one is guided (she talks us through it) and one is silent. We work on different techniques each week, like visualization or using a mantra. One thing that really stuck out to me was that Linda kept reminding us to "stay in the present". It was okay if our mind wandered, as long as we brought it back. It was okay to notice the sounds going on around us, like someone playing the piano downstairs, as long as we acknowledged that it was happening here and now.

It was a message I really took with me through the rest of the day. I left meditation with a clear head and felt like I was once again in control. I was originally planning to skip Improv tonight so I could get some sleep... but I decided at the last minute to go. After all, when else would I have the opportunity to have this very Improv group, playing these games? Improv is a weekly event, but it varies so much from week to week, as different people come, we play new games, and the dynamic changes. I decided that since all my work was done, I would go.

I ended up having a great time. Last semester, I observed a lot and was too shy to get up and participate in many games. However, tonight, I won my first game and was a huge participant. It felt great. I was really living in the present. It was great to be silly and laugh for an hour, and it was just what I needed at the end of this crazy day.

If you have any questions, whether it's about becoming an RA, Improv, or anything else SMC related, please contact me or use my Formspring!

Have a great week, everyone.