A Slice of Humble Pie

Sometimes I feel my feet lifting ever-so-slightly off the ground. All it takes is a slice of humble pie to put things back into perspective.

My academic career has been very successful for the past few years. I have surpassed my wildest expectations, achieving personal bests in school and fitness. I am luckier than most; I have no student debt, have a wonderful boyfriend and family, drive a luxury car, have a six-figure job upon graduation, and could essentially count my blessings out over the entire page.

Needless to say, I am truly blessed in many areas and it can overwhelm me when I least expect it. When it does, I feel an aura of nonchalance drifting over my stream of consciousness, where I feel like I can do anything, be anything, have everything.

I have recently started practicing yoga (more on that later) and it has helped a great deal to put things back into perspective. You know, anyone can experience the beauty of the sound of their own breathing and the stillness of air that surrounds them. Anyone can be perched on a platform on top of the world and slowly fall to the earth, like Icarus in Auden's Musée des Beaux Arts. So I think that it is necessary to achieve worldly goals and excel in your practice, whilst simultaneously retaining the ability to detach and reflect on ideas that cannot be perceived with the senses.

A few days ago, my classmates voted me the "most likely to be featured in [a magazine's special edition of successful people]." It was one of the class awards that was quite meaningful, vs. "best post-break tan." I felt genuinely honored to be the individual that my colleagues view with such high hopes. At the same time, I thought it was important to remind myself that my goals are never motivated by others' hopes and dreams. My passion and drive come from within; from a more spiritual place, that, with more reflection, will catch me as soon as my feet start to lift up from the ground.

Yours,

Sophia