By Hannah
As I approach the midway point of my gap year, I can say that this year has been nothing like I expected. This is definitely a good thing since I spent a lot of time preparing myself for things to fall through and for this year to feel like nothing more than a way to pass the time before college.
I am happy to say that none of that is the case. While plans did fall through and continue to change, this year so far has been rewarding to say the least. I thought I would take this time to check-in and compile a list of some of the things this year has made me grateful for.
Twenty things I’m grateful for…
- That my family is healthy and has been able to work through these tough times.
- That I had the opportunity to take a gap year.
- That I’ve gotten so much extra quality time with my family this year.
- My dogs.
- All the people that hosted me and my 10 peers in Hawaii, Oregon, and California.
- New friends and memories.
- The instructors on my trip who put up with said 11 teenagers for two months.
- Zoom and Facetime for keeping me connected to my extended family.
- My grandparents.
- The extra time to improve my cooking (see below for some of my recent favorites)
- Driving around and looking at holiday decorations.
- Good coffee.
- Sunrises and sunsets.
- The time I spend with friends, even 6 ft apart.
- Being able to vote this year.
- All the beautiful nature that’s so close to home.
- All the adventures to come this year.
- Being able to look forward to the next four years at Duke.
While this list is far from exhaustive, it captures what I’ve been thinking about lately. Even though I don’t know exactly what the next few months hold for me (I think I’m on iteration 6 of a plan at this point), I know that by the end of the year this list will only grow. I can’t wait to see how this year unfolds!
