The End is Near

As my time as an ELC is coming to a close, I find myself thinking WAY too much. I have this excited/anxious/nervous feeling everyday. I am constantly reflecting on the past and thinking about the future.

I now have only 5 visits left. That means I have 5 more chances to really make an impact on our chapters. I have only 5 more wrap up speeches to plan and 5 more reports to do. 5 more slightly awkward hellos and 5 more tightly squeezing, sometimes teary goodbyes. That also means I have 5 weeks until I am reunited with the other 5 ELC who have turned into some of my best friends. Meaning that we have only 6 weeks until the 6 of us go our separate ways. :( In 6 weeks I will be back in Chattanooga living in my childhood home that I have not lived in for almost 5 years now. I will be living in the same town with my fiance again who has graciously supported my AOII dreams, and gone many days with only hearing from me through a few text messages.

Although there were days that seemed endless, I cannot help but feel like it was yesterday that this journey began. I do not know much about what my future holds, but I do know that these past 8 months have forced me to grow as a person. I do know that this time next year I will be 3 weeks away from being a married women. I do not know what job I will have or even what city we will be living in. Having so many uncertainties makes me anxious, but I do find comfort in the fact that I feel that I am have become "the best me" that I have ever been. I am more independent, spontaneous, compassionate and confident. I have become less judgmental and know now that I have SOMETHING in common with every single person I come across. I know I will continue to grow as a person and as an AOII, and I cannot wait to see what my future holds.

But this is not all about me. Please take the time to remember that if my year as an ELC is coming to an end, then your 2010- 2011 school year is not too far behind. Officers, you are almost half way done with your term. Have to done half of what you wanted to do with your position? Networks, you almost have one year under your belt. Have you accomplished all that you intended to? Of course I cannot forget the AOII Seniors. Have you given it your all?

If you have heard me give a wrap up speech then you have most likely heard me talk about leaving your legacy behind. You have also probably heard me ask, "If you walked away from AOII now, what would others remember about you?" So I will ask you the same the questions that I find me asking myself. Have you left your legacy? Have you given it your all and "exceeded the expectations"? Have you done all that you can to make this Fraternity better? I am guessing that like myself, most will answer "no" to these questions. Just remember, there is much more work to be done...

Fraternally,
Bailey