October 13th. Wednesday. Final fall semester.

The first? frost blankets the ground today. Each leaf and blade of grass lays still, holding their breath in hope that they will not have an unexpected visitor before the sun warms off their early fall coats. Halloween is coming. Thanksgiving is coming. I like this season. My favorite, in fact, if I were to choose one. I don’t think any other time of year can encompass so many contradictions. I always feel like I stand facing impending changes, yet welcome the familiar traditions. My body shivers with excitement of unraveling opportunities, yet smiles at the opportunity to wrap myself indoors. My embodied warmth melts the crisp air as I walk to school.

I have been stepping back more often lately, putting myself in the grand perspective of my little personal world. Because of this, I have been taking little steps to live each day to its fullest potential. Lots of action.

I heard an ex-representative from the UN speak last night. Listening to him I found myself yet again viewing my little personal world in the light of both our global situation, and temporal place as well.

He paid a very effective visit, discussing his views on single nation intervention, conflict resolution in a new era, NGOs, and the need for a global policing system. These topics re-sparked my interests in applying to grad schools abroad for programs in Peace Keeping Strategies/peaceful Conflict Resolution.

On that note, I mailed in my application for an absentee ballot today. I am excited to vote. I am normally very hesitant to take sides when the two positions claim to be so completely opposite from the other and apply titles from which stereotypes follow, but more and more so I feel great confidence in voting for John Kerry this election. The world is changing dramatically, whether we acknowledge this fact, or not, and the way we function within it as nations, needs to be just as evolving and flexible. I feel more convinced that a democratic approach can better make decisions concerning the globe than a more republican methodology.

Well, I would like to go act in the world now…