i know this

One of my friends asked me today--if I could do it over again, would I still pick Claremont McKenna over Berkeley or Stanford, considering the type of experiences I've had at the college?

I know now the answer has to be yes. It has to. There's no other way.

I've gotten a thicker skin, I've gotten much stronger. I've proven to myself that I'm a survivor, and things that mean the world to others mean absolutely jack to me because I know that things are trivial and that they too will pass and that there are other things to worry about. Like being alive and taking every moment and making sure that you do something with each moment that you actually want to do--because you never get a chance to do that moment over. One chance, one life, one shot. I'm proud of who I am for once (in my adult life--sorry Michelle Obama) and I think that is something I need to think about.

Because sitting around and being self-satisfied is too easy.