When I thought about how my freshman year of college would play out, I don't think I'm alone when I dreamt up a ton of different possibilities. It could be amazing, I could fail miserably, it could exceed my expectations, etc. So, imagine my surprise when instead of finishing my spring semester, I'm back home and completing my various courses via my computer. Of course, I'm left with a ton of unresolved emotions because of this sudden change in my life, specifically in an area that I thought I had control over. But that's the thing about life, we can make all the plans we want and a pandemic can occur, not even allowing us to hug our grandparents anymore.
Even so, if I've learned anything from my limited experiences as an eighteen-year-old military kid, it's that the unknown is actually one of life's greatest gifts to us. When I moved across the country my senior year of high school, I thought I had myself figured out. I was nervous, sure, but I also thought I had a pretty comfortable grasp on my identity and what that meant for my future.
I was wrong.
I did so many things my senior year that I would've never even considered as an option for myself if I hadn't moved and been pushed into the unknown. Amazingly, I thrived in organizations that I had always feared back home, and I met some of my best friends that I think I'll ever have. Although my entire personality didn't dramatically change, my identity did. The challenges I faced that year taught me lessons about myself that I don't know I would've ever learned otherwise.
Moving was one of the best things that could've ever happened to me. It taught me so much about who I truly am because it put me in a position of complete confusion. I had no safety nets, no one to tell me who I was, and no idea of what the future held. It was liberating. It allowed me the space to change and grow into the person I wanted to be, not who my peers from home, whom I had known since kindergarten, expected out of me.
Therefore, I encourage anyone who feels completely out of control during this time to just lean into that. Try and accept the unexpected, the new, the confusing. We are being presented with the unique, rare experience of not knowing or even being able to effectively plan for the future. It can seem scary, sure, but it's also exciting. There's no telling what the next few months hold for any of us, and so all we can do is take it one day at a time.
Take advantage of this unexpected time. Figure out who you are when you're not right where you want to be, because that ultimately shows your true colors. If you're fortunate enough to enjoy your living situation, show some extra love to those around you, or find a way to connect with someone new. If you aren't exactly in the best place on Earth, try and be grateful anyway. Find a new hobby, cook a good meal, start a new exercise routine, or just enjoy the extra time to take naps and be lazy.
One day, when you're reminiscing on your life and all the crazy adventures, don't you want to be able to tell about the time when you were able to learn how to play the guitar during a pandemic, and not a time when you were angry at the entire world for two months? Me too.
From one slightly disappointed and confused student to another, it's going to be okay.
