Living on My Own

I had my first experience grocery shopping for myself this past week. After the first couple of days, I realized that I am definitely not a natural. I came out of Price Chopper with a carton of eggs, a gallon of milk, a carton of orange juice, two packs of tortillas, and sixteen polish sausages. No fruit, no vegetables, no snacks. I realized that I'm going to like having a little something on the side to compliment my polish sausage dinners for the next two weeks.

Thankfully I am gradually getting worked into life on my own. Me and two of my friends - Josh Hollis and Nate Olson - are going to be renting a house for next year. The lease officially starts on July 1 but we're trying to find people to sub-let the place because we all have summer housing already. We've met up with the property manager quite a few times and he's done a really great job working with us. It's nice to be in somewhat of a "halfway house" in the townhouses on campus because it's giving me a chance to get a running start, so to say, in learning how to live on my own. Paying for rent, utilities, food, furniture, etc. It's a lot and I'm really glad that I'm not just being thrown into it. I'm sure that I would be able to handle it if I was, but it is nice.

In trying to pay for all of the things that I am going to need to start living on my own, I am working two jobs this summer. The first one is a position through the Office of Residence Life at Rockhurst. I am a Conference Assistant - in a nutshell, I'll be checking in and out camps and conferences that stay on campus throughout the summer. The position pays minimum wage and I don't get a ton of hours, but it gives me a place to stay for free and I get a $100 food stipend so I feel like it's a fair trade-off. My second job is a grounds-keeping job on campus. Unfortunately, it's less pay and less hours than I was working for the past two summers, but it's a job and I thank God that I am blessed so much to have two jobs while there are millions of people across the country that don't even have one. They are on my mind, and they'll be in my prayers tonight.

Overall, life on my own is going pretty well. It has helped me realize that there are so many things that I have yet to learn. So many that I feel the need to reiterate how many things I have left to learn. Sometimes it's a little overwhelming, but I haven't been doing it for long and I'm still getting settled into my place so I know that it will come along just fine. Mainly, I know that I cannot do any of this completely on my own. God will always be in my life, carrying me through each and every challenge that I face. Without Him, I am nothing.