I'm an Anthropologist
Have you ever wanted to travel across the country for business or pleasure? Well, I have. I've always been so intrigued by all of the different states and what new experiences I could have and memories that I could make in these mysterious places. I know they may not be mysterious to everyone, especially those who live where I've never been; but to me, it's like uncharted waters ready to be explored.
The Anthropologist in me yearns for exploration and the ability to uncover a new place that could be my favorite in the country, or even the world.
I don't get to talk about my background as an Anthropologist very often, but it's honestly because it seems like just a title. I have a piece of paper that says I've earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology, but what does that mean really? I took the classes necessary for the completion of the degree which was made up by an institution saying I've studied enough in one subject to graduate from their university. I've completed the necessary requirements to hold my $100,000 piece of paper saying I was teachable enough to get through the classes they put in front of me. Oh, and I also passed the basic physical education requirements as well, can't forget that part (here is where an edited video in my mind cuts to me falling off of a T-Bar on the ski slope and having to go to the hospital to find out I had a bent tailbone, which meant sitting in tiny desks in my classes with an inflatible donut under me for the next week)..
I will say, the three things that I got from my studies becoming an Anthropologist are an extremely open mind, a willingness to conquer new possibilities for my life, and my love of travel international and domestic.
Expectations vs. Reality
At 28 years old, I completely expected to be settled down with one or two small children running around a two-story farm house in the country. I expected to be working in some capacity from home or being a full-time stay-at-home mother to those two small children. I had complete faith that I'd have it all figured out before I turned 30 years old and just coast through the rest of my life.
Boy, was I wrong. Looking at it all now, I don't really know why I thought I'd have everything figured out. Maybe it was because I saw my parents as successful at achieving that life. Looking at it from a perspective of my younger self, I can see how I thought they had everything figured out. I wasn't really paying attention to what they were doing or how old they were while doing it, I just paid attention to my studies and hanging out with friends. My parents never let us know if they were struggling, and I thought it was completely normal for my mom to go to work in her own businesses when they stopped taking in foster kids. I didn't think about money or where it came from very much until high school, to be honest.
As an adult, I absolutely commend my mother and father for all of the hard work through the years that they put in to make my brother and I comfortable and never want for anything. My father retiring from General Motors after putting in so many years of assembly line work, and my mother, to this day, still working for herself in creating her own business/businesses to keep her and my dad comfortable as they grow older and want to do more things like travel and spend more time with friends and family.
Living Life to the Fullest
These days, I'm no longer married (long story short, it didn't work out because of some emotional damage I accrued in college, but we don't have to go into that). I'm divorced and moved states entirely from Michigan to Florida. I quit my job that seemed like it was draining my soul in the midst of my marriage falling apart, and now am working as a Travel Agent part-time, am a Dasher for DoorDash, and still looking for other sources of income to keep myself comfortable. To me, life isn't about being rich and having all of the most expensive things in the world to show off, it's about living life to the fullest.
For me, living life to the fullest looks like:
Be able to go into the grocery store and not have to wonder if I have enough money in my checking account to pay for groceries that week.
Be able to travel on a moments notice to get to family if they need me for any reason.
Allow myself to take vacations and explore this vast world that I see as being a place of endless opportunities for making memories.
Be able to start a family when I'm mentally and physically ready.
Be a healthy weight to successfully and (in theory) without issue cary a child or children to full term. I'd love to be a mother. I know some don't have that same want in life, and that's totally okay. For me, I do want this.
Have a vehicle that can get me from Point A to Point B without issue or worry about it falling apart in some way.
Have someone to share life with that respects me, supports me in anything and everything I do, can make me laugh without trying, and shows me love and a sense of renewed curiousity for me every day.
Have friends surrounding me that support me and will tell me the truth, even if it hurts.
Be able to buy my parents home and land for them and keep it in the family for generations to come.
Finally, grow stronger in my faith alongside my family and partner in life.
This is the first time I've ever written down these wants for my life. Now that I have, things make a lot of sense regarding how I got to where I am today. I'm basically starting over with my life, starting fresh. A new state, new ambitions to chase, and a new life to shape into what I want it to be based on those goals for my life that I've listed. To be honest, it feels great to get everything out of my mind and written out in this way.
As I write this, I've gone back and forth on whether to keep this all to myself or share it with the world. If I've learned anything from Rachel Hollis, sometimes sharing with the world can be a good thing. It will be terrifying and make your stomach flip over a thousand times, but you never know who needs to hear or read what you have gone through to know that they too can get through hard times in life. It doesn't matter what age, you can start over and over again. Your life has endless possibilities if you just give in to your goals and make them a priority.
If you're looking for something to read that will give you a swift kick in the butt to get going on your goals and start making them a reality, I absolutely recommend Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis. I've read it about 3 times now, and I still get something new from it each time.
Future of the Blog
In future posts, I will absolutely be writing about travel, experiences, mishaps, and so much more. I wanted this first article to really just delve into how I got to this point in life and where I'd like to go from here. It's given me a sense of direction, instead of wandering around aimlessly without a goal to be seen. I know what I want for this life and for this company. It's time to make it a reality.
Much love,
Reyna L. Bennett
B.S. Anthropology
Michigan Technological University
P.S. I figured I'd add in the Anthropology title just because. I might as well, I paid/still am paying for it.
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