Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of my swear-in ceremony in Niger. On Sept. 23, 2010, I became a Peace Corps volunteer.

Fast forward a year and a day and I am sitting at my parents home in South Dakota, drinking coffee, making a mental farmer’s market list and wondering how I’ll spend my responsibility-less day.

You know how I feel about it. It’s not supposed to be like this, but it is and I can’t change it. However, I’ve accepted the situation and the fact that Niger is just relic in my past now.

What I can understand now that I didn’t eight months ago is that my future is pretty great. In about two and half weeks I will be on my way to Lesotho, not to start again but to start.

While running yesterday morning, I sifted through the thoughts of what happened one year prior and what will be happening soon. I must have turned my head up for some reason and caught a glimpse of the sun through the trees. Combined with the fresh cool autumn air, the moment made me stop for a second and smile.

I may not be where I expected to be on Sept. 23, 2011, but I am exactly where I am supposed to be.