Connecting the Dots: The Pattern of My Growth is Starting to Show

Thursday morning in LA and I'm back at my window seat in the campus coffee shop, watching the city wake up. It's just past 9 AM, and I've got this strange feeling of clarity that I can't quite explain. Like when you step back from a design you've been working on too closely and suddenly see the whole picture.

Looking back at what I've written over the past few days, I'm seeing a pattern emerge. Monday was about finding that space between reaction and response. Tuesday revealed how my relationships are shaping who I'm becoming. Yesterday was about turning obstacles into opportunities with my fabric crisis (update: I ordered samples of that ocean plastic fabric and it's even better in person!).

It's like I'm watching myself evolve in real time, and it's both terrifying and exhilarating.

What's hitting me this morning is how these aren't separate lessons – they're all connected. That pause I've been cultivating isn't just helping me handle schedule changes or fabric disasters; it's creating room for me to show up differently in all my relationships. And those relationships aren't just making me happier; they're actually giving me strength to face creative challenges.

Professor Chen talked about "systems thinking" in sustainability last semester – how everything affects everything else. I thought she was just talking about supply chains, but maybe she was actually dropping life wisdom on us without me realizing it.

I'm still very much a work in progress (exhibit A: I stress-bought three iced coffees yesterday after my pattern-cutting class went sideways). But for the first time, I can actually see the thread connecting who I was to who I'm becoming. It's not about dramatic transformations; it's about these tiny, daily choices that are gradually revealing a more authentic version of myself.

My mom texted this morning asking how I'm doing, and instead of my usual "fine, just busy" response, I found myself telling her about this evolution I'm noticing. Her reply: "That's what your twenties are for, honey. You're right on schedule."

Maybe that's the most comforting thought of all – that this messy, beautiful process of becoming is exactly where I'm supposed to be right now.

Class in twenty minutes. Time to take this clarity and see what new connections today might reveal.