A couple weeks ago, I wrote a thank you/ goodbye email to the fabulous Liz Perle, who was the first person I ever reached out to at the Huffington Post. It was a boring Sunday afternoon during my senior year of high school. I somehow stumbled upon HuffPost High School (I think it was called HuffPo High School at one point) and decided to try my luck with emailing Liz. I remember I waited for her response while painting my nails and watching Disney's Prom. Which was indeed very high school of me.
Before blogging for HuffPost, I never really had any formal experience blogging/ writing. I was never one to voice a strong opinion or spend time writing and sharing my personal experiences. I started blogging for Huffington Post in the middle of my senior year in high school, which was when I spent a lot of time worrying. Worrying about college applications and how "good" my extracurricular activities looked on paper. Worrying about old friendships ending and how I would find a way to start new ones. Worrying about exams and homework, and how much they even really mattered in the grand scheme of things.
Basically, I spent more time stressing over issues than I did trying to resolve them. I was trying to construct a "this is how it's supposed to go" year, holding onto fading friendships and working for achievements that I didn't really want anymore instead of accepting the fact that our relationships and goals can change at the most inconvenient of times. (Note: it is a hell of a lot more inconvenient to try to force a relationship to be what it once was or to keep chasing a dream that isn't really yours than it is to just admit that it's not for you anymore.) And, strangely enough, blogging for HuffPost became the least stressful thing on my agenda. It made me excited, not anxious. I didn't even really think to list it on my college applications while I spent a whole of time and thought questioning how "impressive" my other activities looked. And in the midst of this yearlong freak-out, I found something to call my own.
And, seeing how my interest in blogging and love for HuffPost have grown over these past two years, I'm surprised that it all started with a simple email. And, I'm always glad that I didn't chicken out of emailing Liz just because I felt like I didn't have enough experience or because I thought I was already busy enough. There is always an excuse not to do things, and some of them are probably pretty reasonable-sounding. But, whenever I find myself stressed out or annoyed by my routine, I try to challenge myself to find something new to try because I've seen how far just reaching out can take you.