From a young age, I aspired to be an “accomplished woman” like the heroines of 19th century European literature who managed to excel at many disparate talents and interests. I sought to be as well-rounded as humanly possible with as many activities as could fit in a day. I honestly didn’t care about perfection so…
Tag: Personal development
Cadence of Fall | Part I: Cacophony of Sound
Have you ever heard an orchestral melee as the players practice on their own before coordinated tuning? The instrumentalists are probably all playing portions of the same set of music, but at different tempos and times, just trying to hone in on their individual parts. It’s chaotic and nonsense and not particularly pleasant to listen…
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
I love an end of the year reflection post. I also love a song lyric that feels so relevant to a moment in time it’s as if the lyricist wrote it just for me (thank you Jack Johnson, circa 2005). So, here I am at the end of 2024—sitting, waiting, wishing only good things for…
Seasons: Rest
The fragment of weak light just barely revealsa moment of hope buried within me—tucked away ‘til spring pushes forth the earth.Bits of green disrupt the barren ground, forbeneath the surface, growth was happening.We just couldn’t see what we alreadyknew to be true: the best is yet to come. A season of slumber must cover the…
Paris, France | 2023
Our entrance into Paris was somewhat less triumphant than we would have liked as one of our students was left behind in Germany—unfortunate moment as a group leader involving an unexpected change in train platforms, some AirPods and an incorrect assumption that everyone made the mad dash across the station. Fortunately, everything worked out as…
Heidelberg, Germany | 2023
After what felt like the longest stop in Prague, we finally moved on to Heidelberg, Germany. Unlike Innsbruck and Prague, which I had apparently barely experienced on my first IBI experience, I had many great memories from my time in Heidelberg, and I was excited to return. Overall, my experience there this time felt more…
London, England | 2023
For eight weeks during the summer of 2023, I worked as the program assistant on the International Business Institute, a study abroad program for undergraduates studying international business. After two [unnecessary] legs of flying, I met the group of 15 students and the director of the trip in Newark for my final flight to cross…
Natural Makeup
I have some thoughts on natural makeup that I’d like to share. No—this is not an influencer post nor an MLM opportunity for you to consider. I am not selling anything. All I want you to do is buy in to the notion that you (just you, not you with styled hair care or perfect…
Being alone doesn’t have to be lonely
Recently I found myself pitying a 60-something-year-old man who was eating ice cream by himself. Ohh, that must be hard, I assumed while I indulged in a latte in the coffee shop across the street. It’s sad to not have people around to share simple joys like a weekday afternoon frozen treat, I mused as…
L.M.Beatty 