College: a place of growth and discovery. It's a time when you're actually allowed to not know the answers to every single thing about every single thing. You're allowed to explore, find out what you like or what you don't like, and what seems to make you happy.
I recognized this upon entering college, but I didn't realize how true it was until I looked back on my first year. I had really begun to change in so many ways. Specifically, I noticed that the spiritual aspect of my life had evolved. With the help of a book called Buddhist Boot Camp by Timber Hawkeye, I began to feel myself change for the better.
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This little book sat on my desk, waiting to teach me different ways to look at my life. It offered me various lessons and quotes that I bookmarked and memorized to my heart's content. I've found a way to resonate with practically all of them, and a few of them have stuck with me wherever I go in my daily life.
"The opposite of what you know is also true." Going to school in a diverse city has expanded on my recognition of this quote. With people from all creeds, cultures, and collections of life, it's eye-opening to find an idea so different from what you've grown up believing. Just because it's different, however, doesn't make it wrong or any less valid from your own beliefs. What might be true for you, might not be true for everyone else, and vice versa. It's important to respect others and be open to everyone else's ideas, and to know that they are also valid.
"Your past mistakes guide you, not define you." This one elicited a liberating sigh of relief in me. So often would I dwell on minuscule things I did or said in the past that weren't always right. I would fear that new people I'd meet would soon discover these meaningless things I did, and that it would ruin my chances of a successful career or a fulfilling relationship. Once I reflected on this quote, I realized the truth in it. I may have made mistakes in the past, but I am only human. I'm no less of a being because of these meaningless actions. More importantly, these mistakes, big or small, are just a part of my life lessons, and they have played a part in leading me to where I am today.
"What comes, let it come. What stays, let it stay. What goes, let it go." (Papaji) This reminds me of the Buddhist idea that everything is impermanent. This has helped me learn to not become so attached to things that it inhibits personal growth. I've learned to look at things as temporary gifts or lessons, and to not feel sorrow when they disappear.
This year alone has provided me with a lot of life lessons, and I can only imagine the lessons I'll discover in years to come.
