Why I chose Chi O. A question that can be answered with a few sweet paragraphs about Chi O and what it means to me, but in Abigail fashion, here is an embarrassing story that makes me cringe a little bit inside every time I tell it.
If you have ever met me, you know that I live for being known as the silly, goofy friend. During recruitment, I really tried to tie up my hot mess self with a nice little bow to hide the fact that I just ran across campus in my slippers with chocolate stains all down my dress (on pref night of all nights). As soon as I walked through the door for the last time that week, I was scooped up by a dear camp friend, and all my nerves began to settle. I knew this next hour would be good when I felt myself begin to slouch in the chair; I was comfortable here. Chi O was my second house of the night, but it had been two hours since my other house. To some people, that may sound nice, but for me, that meant two hours of my heart racing, my palms profusely sweating, and me questioning my entire existence. Okay, that's dramatic, but it still wasn't a pleasant experience.
Pref Night is the night everyone pulls out all the big guns. There were little white tables spread across the chapter room topped with small vases filled with flowers. It was pretty darn cute, I have to admit. I had noticed them when I first walked in, but honestly, my mind was a little preoccupied, and I had forgotten they were there. During my time in the house, my conversations flowed with ease. The genuine want to be there and never leave came naturally.
Some people would say that talking to the girls is the scariest part of recruitment, but I beg to differ. I have to say the most terrifying thing about recruitment is getting out of the house. One second you are having a deep conversation with a stranger about your life, and then the next, you are being trampled out the door like you are a middle school boy racing to the water fountain after PE. In all of the chaos of getting out of the door, I had completely forgotten about the small table in front of me, and before I knew it, I tripped and the table was flipping over, causing the vase to launch across the room. Of course, I go into pure panic. I mean, they had just read to us how Chi O's are supposed to be "womanly always", and here I am making a mess of things.
Despite my embarrassment, I was met with help and grace. And not only that but I was met with laughter. The kind of laughter that makes you want to pee your pants. And as I ran out of the house that night I knew that Chi Omega is where I was meant to be. Chi Omega was a place where I didn't have to hide my hot mess self, but instead, I was loved for it and encouraged to embrace it.
And now, when we sit in those white chairs every Sunday night for chapter, I am reminded that I don't have to sit up straight and slap on a huge smile; that it's okay to slouch. It's okay to trip over tables. It's okay to wear your slippers and have stains on your clothes. Here at Chi Omega you are met with a type of love that can’t be described in words, but the kind of love I pray you find everyday in this sisterhood.
