Everything.

Here I am, doing what I'm supposed to do-getting a college degree, drinking lots of caffeine, starting papers at midnight, tutoring a friend...but where am I going and where have I been, and what's it all for anyway?

I'm almost 20 and I'm in my second year of college. When I meet someone, right after the "hi's" and the "how are you's" and the "really good" and the "well there's this exam...", there comes the inevitable question. It comes in many forms, but they all amount to the same thing: "So you're in college, what for?" "What comes next?" "What's your life plan, huh?" It's just a conversation starter, a few words to break the silence, but there's expectancy in these questions, a belief that I could actually answer them. The truth is, how many of us can really see that far in the future?

And who really wants to anyway?

What I'm getting at is that it's ok to not know. It's ok to not know where you're going. It's ok to stop and wonder-why did I end up here? It's ok to answer, "I really don't know what my life is gonna look like in ten years-I don't know what my life looks like next week!" Because in the long haul, we don't.

And in the long haul, it'll be more fun if we don't.

Think of all the exciting, unknown adventures that we'll experience (and think about all the unpleasant experiences we'd rather not know about!). In the words of Paulo Coelho, "I'm afraid of taking steps that are not on the map, but by taking those steps despite my fears, I have a much more interesting life." (if you don't know who Paulo Coelho is follow these emergency instructions: abandon this blog immediately, drive to the nearest bookstore, buy a copy of The Alchemist, drive to the local coffee shop, buy a cup of brew and a chocolate puff pastry, find a comfy couch or a park bench, and read until your heart is full)

It's not that we don't like to plan-or that we shouldn't plan, or have goals, and dreams. Because we definitely do and we definitely should. One of the wisest things my dad ever told me was that you have to have a plan so you can change it. And that leads me into....this. My new blog. What's it for anyway, huh?

Well, let me tell you.

I love words. I love writing. And I love languages. I often scribble down ideas on the margins of notepads, the backs of napkins, or crumpled receipts, but these ideas are usually left undeveloped and forgotten (until I find them a year later stuffed in the pockets of my winter ski coat!). I want this blog to be my spiral notebook, not my yellow stickynote-a place I develop my thoughts, instead of forget them.

But that's about all I can tell you. Because, really, I don't know what will end up here. (I never even dreamed I'd have a blog until a few days ago!). And that's ok.

I'll start my day by saying, "Hello white screen! What will I make of you today?"

And then I'll write about...anything.

So here's to trying something new. Here's to adventures. Here's to reading CosmoGirl and Plato on the same day. Here's to liking business and politics and economics. Here's to manicures and camping. Here's to sunrises and rainstorms. Here's to tattoos and cardigans. Here's to being original. Here's to being a leader and a follower. Here's to no favorite color. Here's to quiet nights with hot tea and a book. Here's to staying out 'til dawn. Here's to biology and art history. Here's to mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers. Here's to listening and speaking and watching and wanting and needing. Here's to the future. Here's to...everything.