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No Matter What Riches

You are useful here and now!

Claire Tadeo

Sep 01, 2016

Milledgeville, GA

156

Claire Tadeo

So you're in your favorite Chinese restaurant, and you just got your check. As usual, that little fortune cookie is sitting there waiting to be cracked open! Now I've had my share of strange fortunes, and even quite realistic ones, like when I had Chinese the night before my family's ski trip and received a fortune that read, "Adventure awaits you in the mountains." And I know these little sentences don't really hold much importance in our lives, and are often thrown out in the trash bin before even leaving the restaurant, however, last weekend I cracked open a pretty smart cookie. The small slip of paper read, "You lead a useful life no matter what riches are coming to you."

Reading that, right off the bat, I was kind of taken aback! Pretty deep for a fortune cookie. Now, I'm quite the hoarder, so anything with a tinge of importance is probably something I will hold on to. So I kept the fortune and shoved it in my pocket to later stick on the "Words of Wisdom" wall in my apartment. But these words are more than just a mere decoration to pass by on my way out. I really started to dwell on that simple sentence.

How often do we have that mindset? Do we always believe our lives are useful when we are young and not fully into our careers? I fall into the trap of thinking, "Oh yeah, when I have a job and am out of school and have my own place that's when I will be useful. That's when I'll be a success!" But why would we limit ourselves like that?

"...No matter what riches are coming to you." Right now. Where you are. With whatever you have, you are useful. Do not put your hope in earthly riches. They will not sustain you. Leading a useful life is more than money can buy. Being giving to your friends, family and community does not always require the "riches" we think it does. Volunteering your time up for someone or something is just as useful as donating a few dollars or paying for a small gift.

Do not demote yourself as unimportant because you haven't gotten where you wish to be yet. Remove the "W," because right now you, are "here," and who you are here is incredibly useful!

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No Matter What Riches

You are useful here and now!

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No one best represents the struggle like our favorite 90s squad.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

2. When there is only one section of a popular course.

3. Receiving the 18,000 emails reminding you to register ASAP.

4. When you need to see an advisor, but they are too busy/unresponsive.

5. Trying not to dress like a bum for your appointments with your advisors/department heads.

6. When you have a perfectly planned out schedule, and one class ruins it.

7. Carefully moving things around to accommodate a different class/section.

8. Waking up at 6:00 a.m. for your enrollment time.

9. Concocting a new schedule at your enrollment time after your original plan gets changed.

10. Getting into a class and filling the last available seat.

11. When all of your classes finally go through.

12. Realizing that you forgot a class that was a pre-requisite for everything else.

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

"Nobody living in one of the most influential nations in the world should be worried about making ends meet."

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What are the benefits of raising the minimum wage?

What are the states that have set a $15/hour minimum wage?

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Because who understands your bitterness better than April?

1. When you have to provide an "interesting fact" for your first day ice-breaker.

2. When your professor is babbling on and on in his lecture.

3. When you edit your friend's paper and they get an A.

4. When it's 2 AM and you remember you have a test tomorrow.

5. When you finish taking the test and you're pretty sure you failed...

6. ...but then you get the test back and somehow passed.

7. When you've been up for 12 hours straight writing a paper.

8. And then you manage to stay awake in class the next day.

9. When you have to butter up your professor for an extra credit opportunity.

10. When you're assigned a group project.

11. And your group-mates are trying to chat about life instead of the assignment.

12. When it's your last class of the day and you're about to go home.

13. But then you remember rent is due tonight and the anger comes back.

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