It's been said that the flap of a butterfly's wing can lead to a tornado hundreds of miles away. Likewise, a YouTube video can lead to a best friendship, a college degree, and a life of creativity. When I was 10 years old, I came across a stop-motion movie on YouTube made with American Girl dolls. This video blew me away with just how real it looked. I was hooked, and quickly went down a rabbit hole of watching more stop-motions. Soon enough, I had started creating my own stop-motions and uploading them to YouTube. Through my YouTube channel, I met my friend Sarah. We began chatting in middle school, and got to meet each other in person for the first time in high school. She went to college first and chose Baylor, and the more I looked into Baylor, the more I knew I wanted to go there too. I quit posting on YouTube at 14, but never stopped making videos. Throughout high school, I mainly made videos for my church, practiced my editing, and began writing screenplays. I dreamed of working in the film industry "for real" one day. Now a film major in college, I finally got to direct my first short film, "Winner Winner Cardboard Dinner," last semester. My professor had suggested I incorporate my stop-motion roots into the film. It took forever and I had to pull an all-nighter to get it done, but I kept on thinking of my younger self watching that first video all those years ago. I think she'd be impressed by the fact that I'm still pursuing film. I learned so much during production and can't wait for whatever's next.

I don't remember who I heard say it, but a quote I will always remember and live by is: "it's not fair to the rest of the world if you only stay in one place." Another, cheesier, more Pinterest-esque way to put it: "if we were meant to stay in one place, we'd have roots instead of feet." The world is full of beautiful places that leave us awestruck. We see a sunset, a mountain, a field of wildflowers, and we walk away just a little bit happier than we were before. We take pictures and save them to show to our future children and grandchildren. When we return to the monotony of everyday life, to school, work, or home, we look at those pictures and mentally escape back to those places, even if just for a moment. Within these places, there are people. People who we never would have met had we not taken a chance on adventure and left our comfortable little bubble. People who have an entire lifetime worth of stories, wisdom, and experiences. Travel gives us the honor and privilege of sitting down with these people and getting to hear all their wonderful thoughts. Even the briefest interactions have so much deep richness behind them. Sometimes, we are even lucky enough to meet the people who become our friends, and they continue to be a part of our lives when we no longer physically occupy the same space. And there is much to be said about the things that we learn, whether we're trying to or not. We read an informational plaque at a museum and now we know all about the inspiration behind the painting. We ask what's in a dish at a restaurant and now we know what this group of people considers a delicacy that we would not typically consider eating. We strike up a conversation with the front desk clerk at our small-town hotel and now we know all about the history, locals, and hidden gems of said town. So, let's continue to pack our bags and go to new places. Let's take pictures but also live in the moment. Let's smile at everyone and ask questions. Let's leave our comfort zones and step into the greater world with an open mind. Who knows, our lives might just be forever changed.

Imagine you’re a college student who only sleeps for 2 hours every night. After a couple of days, you must fight your body to stay awake. While you may still be able to somewhat function and go to class, your mind is not as alert or awake as it normally is, and you begin to fall behind. Your immune system also becomes compromised due to your body not being able to recharge as much as it should, and you are much more susceptible to sickness. However, you keep forcing yourself to stay awake. You are constantly in a daze and you even begin hallucinating. You are running on too much caffeine, which causes heart problems when combined with the lack of sleep. Eventually, you wear your body down so much that you end up in the hospital. Getting good grades is now the last thing on your mind–all that matters is getting well. We all know that taking care of our physical health is crucial–but physical health is only one component of health as a whole. Another equally important component is mental health. The term “mental health” is often used synonymously with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, however it’s so much more than that. Regardless of whether someone has a mental illness, they still have mental health, just as they have physical health. Self-care is to mental health as sleep is to physical health. Without taking care of oneself, one’s mental health can go unchecked, causing new problems to arise and existing problems to become worse. Self-care comes in many forms, and the best forms for each person may be different from the next. To one person, spending quality time alone is rejuvenating, while another finds vitality in seeing their friends. Some take care of their minds by journaling, or reading, or treating themselves to a coffee or dessert “just because.” College can be difficult, and succeeding in college requires hard work. Taking care of our mental health through self-care, whatever that may look like for each of us, can help us to not only succeed academically, but flourish in every aspect of our lives. Social relationships become more fulfilling, focusing on work becomes easier and less stressful, our minds become clearer. Even our physical health is often affected for the better when we give attention to our mental health. And yes, we tend to sleep better at night too.

The character I resonate the most with from "The Office" would have to be Erin. She's a bit of a ditz, but very likable thanks to her relentless optimism and infectious love of people. A particular Erin quote that stands out to me is "Planking is one of those things where, hey, you either get it or you don't. And I don't. But I am so excited to be a part of it!" This enthusiasm is something I've experienced many times in my life, jumping into new situations and opportunities where I don't entirely understand what's going on, but I can tell it's going to be great. The sarcasm and dry humor of "The Office" as well as its relatability keep loyal fans coming back and laughing. Many other shows are bizarre and unrealistic, which doesn't make them bad shows, however, it may be a bit harder to make connections to them. "The Office" is different: it's a slice-of-life show about something as seemingly mundane and yet universal as going to work. Often, we can see patterns reflected between the show and our real lives; the people we go to work with and the characters in the show. It's endearing, validating, and entertaining all at the same time.

@mallori.with.an.i