Is it just me, or does forgiving ourselves feel like trying to erase a mistake from a page we know will never be clean again?

Is it just me, or does it sometimes feel like everyone else has it all figured out? Why does it feel like my neighbor's grass is always lush, green, and perfectly trimmed, while mine feels patchy and overrun with weeds?

Seasons were one of the earliest indicators that time was passing for ancient civilizations, serving as a beautiful marker of our journey through the year. When Autumn arrives, it’s time to pack away the bikinis and white pants, embracing cozy cardigans and a fresh pair of UGGs. As Spring emerges, we shed layers, reveling in bright colors and the freedom of skirts. Seasons remind us that life moves forward, urging us to shed the old to make room for the new—much like the personal growth we experience as we transition into different phases of our lives.

It's seriously so easy to look at our life and think about all the things that are wrong with it. I’ve been on a mental battlefield these past few days, mentally ripping myself to shreds. I need to be more consistent, I need better routines, I don't stick to the boundaries I create... yadiyadiyadaaaa. And while all of those things are true, and it's important to set goals for ourselves, it's also extremely important to give ourself grace.

Apart of growing up, and really taking accountability for your life is simply realizing that sometimes we are the problem. It can't ALWAYS be the other person. In my journey to be my higher and most authentic self coupled with a therapist who does not hold back on calling me out on my shit, in the past few months I have come face to face with the simple reality that I am not always the victim.

As exciting as graduation is, the commencement of a time in your life, the closing of a chapter and the beginning of a new one, there is also this looming sense of fear and uncertainty that we don't talk about enough. For the girlies who aren't going right back to school, this will be our first time outside of an educational setting. And this transition is scary for several reasons. We have just spent the last 17 to 18 years of our lives in institution, and being a student is literally apart of our identity. When we transition away, we are left to figure out who we are outside of educational parameters.