.png)
This semester felt like it finally caught up to me. My schedule was full in all the ways it is supposed to be: classes, my internship, extracurriculars and plans. On paper, it looked productive and put together. But somewhere in the middle of all of it, I started to feel worn down. Not all at once, just in a quiet way where everything feels like a lot.
I did not plan to slow down. If anything, I have always been someone who tries to take on more and keep everything moving. But this semester forced me to step back a little. To take on less. To stop trying to make everything fit perfectly into a calendar that was never realistic to begin with.
Routine used to mean something very different to me. It meant being busy, being productive and having every hour accounted for. A perfect calendar looked full, structured and impressive. Now it feels different. A good day is not the one where I check off the most boxes. It is the one where things feel manageable, where I have time to breathe, where I can move through the day without feeling like I am rushing to keep up.
Even small things like exercise feel different. It is not about fitting it in to say I did it. It is about doing something that actually makes me feel better, not more exhausted. I am learning that a real routine is not about perfection. It is about something you can actually live with.
Part of that shift has been getting back into my faith in a simple way. I have started reading my Bible again and doing a devotional each day. Nothing complicated. Nothing perfect. Just showing up consistently. It has become a quiet part of my day that grounds me. It is not something I am doing to check a box. It is something I actually look forward to, even if it is just a few minutes.
At the same time, I have found myself spending more time in the kitchen. I have been cooking and baking more, starting with trying new recipes and even creating some of my own, but it’s grown into something that feels like more than just making food. It forces me to slow down and pay attention. There is something about starting from scratch and creating something you can share with others. It has become a break from everything else, a way to reset in the middle of busy days.
Going home more has been the biggest change of all. This will be my first summer at home since I was a junior in high school, and even now, being there feels different from how it used to. I am not the same person I was back then. I notice things I did not before. I appreciate time differently.
Spending time with my nieces and nephews has been one of my favorite parts. They do not care about schedules or responsibilities. They want to play, laugh and be present. Being around them reminds me how simple things can be. It pulls me out of my own head and back into the moment.
Time with my family means more now, too. Sitting and talking with my Mammy and Pappy, being in a place that feels familiar, it all feels more intentional. Losing my Granny last Thanksgiving has changed the way I see time at home. It makes it feel more important to be there, not rush through it, and I actually take it in.
All of these things are small on their own. Reading a devotional, trying a new recipe, sitting on the couch and talking with family and playing outside with the kids. None of it looks big or impressive on paper. But together, they have been bringing me back to myself in a way I did not expect.
I am learning to be more present. To let myself enjoy where I am right now instead of always thinking about what is next. To let go of things that do not actually matter, even if they used to feel important. To realize that feeling like myself again does not come from doing more. It comes from paying attention to what already matters.
This season of life is not loud or chaotic. It is quiet and steady. But it feels important. In a time when everything is moving forward so quickly, with senior year approaching and plans for the future becoming more real, this feels like a moment to slow down and take it all in.
I did not realize how much I needed this.
Kara Beth is a McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville in the class of 2027. She is studying political science and communications with a minor in political marketing.