"When you feel as if the world has turned its back on you, remember that the universe continues to stare straight into your eyes."
-Eloy Banks

A couple of weeks ago my car was swallowed by the sea. I wish I could say I was exaggerating, but my car was literally flooded beyond repair and the only thing I could do was watch the water levels rise even higher...

For a girl who has never been in a car accident, received a speeding ticket or even a parking ticket, this was pretty much the worse thing that could have happened to my car at this point in my life. And for a moment, I found myself falter at what I was supposed to do next.

As a recent college graduate currently in a gap year, how would I even able to buy a new car right now? Especially when my previous car was arguably good for another 10 years until it wasn't?

For the last year, I have promised myself that 2018 would be the year of opportunity. That I would finally get the chance to make my dreams a reality and that nothing could knock down my momentum. After all, I was supposed to be titanium, and now I was allowing a little car to destroy that reality? Was this really how I began to lose hope?

Of course not.

Because when you feel as if the world has turned its back on you, look again.

We live in this constant reality that the universe owes us whatever it is we ask for. And while I will always argue to dare to ask the universe for whatever it is you seek, we must always be open and receptive to the idea of something entirely different than our original plans.

Because what you might be wishing for just might not be right for you.

An important person once told me that people get into medical school at exactly the right time. Not sooner or later, but exactly when it is right for them, and it is important to remember that sometimes that time isn't now.

And I think this applies to everything that we might hope for in this life. Whether it be graduate school, an interview, the "right" job, or even a stable car to get us from point A to point B.

Believing in a year of opportunity, or even in a life of opportunity does not mean that you will be invincible to heartache and loss. Instead, it is about recognizing even the bad as an opportunity to grow, to learn, and to witness whatever is in front of you with new eyes.

So maybe you didn't get that job you were hoping for, the guy you thought was sure "the one" or the opportunity to finally land on your feet. But you will make it, and when you do you will be most thankful for the moments you thought would ultimately define you for the worst. Yet instead defined you for the best.

This life is a finicky creature. It recoils when we anticipate it to relax, and it provides when we least expect it. Which is why we must always choose to find the positive in whatever it decides for us.

For me, that means learning to understand that I was not meant to have my car any longer than the three very short years that it was in my custody. While I may not feel confident in having the funds to purchase a new one, one day I will. And all that will be left is a distant memory and the opportunity to experience something much different than I originally expected.

Although that day may not be today or tomorrow, I look forward to it. Because while the universe has taken far more than I felt willing to provide, it has never left me entirely on my own.