Category: Travel Assignments

Life

29 Things I’ve Learned in My Twenties

Katie Williams

Tomorrow is the first day of my last year of my twenties. It is fascinating to me how much everyone seems to fear turning 30. If I am being totally honest I cannot wait. My twenties have been filled with so much... joy, pain, healing, love, learning, mistakes, loss, friendship, heartache, recovery and everything in between. I would not trade any of it for the world. It has taken a long time and a lot of healing for me to even say that. All of that to say, there are many lessons I have learned along the way. Here are the 29 things I would tell my 20-year-old self if I could go back and give her advice.

Travel Assignments, Weekend Trips

Minneapolis, MN: Girl’s weekend

Katie Williams

Minneapolis is such a beautiful city. I am glad I was able to explore it with new friends. There is so much diversity, love for justice, great food, great things to see, and lots of gorgeous sights (such as parks). It reminded me of Sacramento in many ways. I am grateful for the taste of home, even if I am thousands of miles away.

Travel Assignments, Weekend Trips

Minneapolis, MN: Be a Beginner

Katie Williams

I don't know about you, but I have struggled with beginnings about as much as I struggle with endings (which is A LOT by the way). It is hard to admit when I am a beginner at something. I know a huge part of that is my own privilege as a white, educated, middle-class woman. Book education is important, but not as important as real-life education. I have never had the real-life experience of being a black woman or black man. I have only ever known a life of privilege. I can read what that means in a book, but it does not mean I truly know what it means. At first I struggled with it too. I had thoughts in my head about how I have my degree in Social work and that it means I recognize my privilege. Again though, it is one thing to know it - it is another to feel the repercussions of someone else's privilege affecting my own life.

Life

To Love and Let Go

Katie Williams

Today I read "which choice is more loving?" -- And I know which one it is. It is the road of letting go. Even though I have made so much progress, I am still not healed from the pain I put myself and others through. I have still not forgiven myself. There is still so much I am working through. The memories, the history will always be with him too. It is not lost just because we are no longer part of each other's lives. He definitely shaped mine. Nothing can change that either. Maybe one day I will come to a similar crossroad. Maybe I will be in a completely different place in a completely different time. Maybe. Until then though, I am choosing to make the choice that is more loving. Sometimes it hurts more to hold on than it does to let go. So, I am letting go.

Life, Travel Assignments

Making Peace with Peace

Katie Williams

My diary was somewhat of a safe haven for me. I did a lot of writing throughout elementary, middle, and high school all the way up until now. There is one thing I do remember as a common theme that weaved in and out of the pages of every diary I ever kept though, regardless of age. I want to be happy. Yet for a girl with the whole word at her feet, I could not for the life of me figure out how to achieve it.

Life, Travel Assignments

Meaning in the Mundane

Katie Williams

If you know me, you know how much I love excitement. If I could be with my favorite people at all waking times, I would accept at least 95% of it. The other 5% would be reserved for recharging. I have never been able to just sit still. Any time I am not doing something or doing something WITH someone else is a moment wasted. That is how I always saw it at least until I got to North Dakota.