Building plans

I used to think that life was a blueprint: set in the works of the future skyscraper you would end up making yourself out to be. I was so dead set on certain dreams and aspirations, some of which I still want to carry out and some which I have set to the back burner, that I would nearly pull out all my hairs trying to force myself to stick to one path.

This past summer, I took William & Mary’s D.C. Summer Institute in Leadership and Community Engagement, and in that class I was given the greatest opportunity: time to reflect. Whether it was academic or emotional reflecting, I was given the most amazing people to work with and to be given advice from.

Basically what I learned is that nothing is set in stone and everything is changeable. One of my life mottos is ‘if its meant to happen, it happens’ and that mindset came from being able to allow other’s stories and my own to be opened up and explored alongside others who struggled like I did. No one knows what is coming next, and that is daunting for someone who loves planning, but hijinks get in the way. Life gets in the way. You’ve got class at 11, but your friend needs convincing to go to the health center and you’ve also got an interview for your dream internship/job at 12:30 and then there’s a date party with your friends you want to get to, but also dinner plans and homework and this and that and everything else that happens to a college student. Life happens, and I’ve learned to let it.

And there are people out there who have no plans and don’t know what they want to do 5 years, 5 days, 2 hours ahead of now. That’s cool too! I admire those people who let the world steer them whichever way the wind goes and they are able to find themselves along the way. Whoever you are, whatever you want to do in the future, good luck and keep hanging in and hanging on.