Just yesterday, I caught a reflection in a mirror at T.J. Maxx. A five-foot girl was drowning in a sea of handbags, trying to find the leather life jacket that fit her perfectly. A cobalt blue bag was draped over her left shoulder, which spanned the entirety of her torso, and on the other side, there was a black bag lined with red threads that tucked nicely underneath her armpit. A pair of Tommy Hilfiger sandals (marked down to only $15) dangled from her frazzled fingers.
It took me a second to realize that I actually recognized the girl in the reflection. In fact it was my own furrowed brow that stared back at me. But who was I? What was I even doing in the handbag section? I mean I’m the girl who swore she was “allergic” to the color pink until the fifth grade. I’m the girl whose shoe collection included, and was limited to, a pair of black Old Navy flip flops and a pair of black Converse sneakers with frayed laces. I’m the girl who ordered the same pair of American Eagle dark wash skinny jeans year after year ever since the seventh grade. Yet there I was, the girl who spent 30 minutes drafting a pros and cons list of two handbags.
I tried to retrace my steps to see how I ended up in the predicament I was currently in, and I discovered that my roommate was probably to blame. Well, I shouldn't say blame, but something more along the lines of who I can credit my metamorphosis into womanhood to. Change is change; I'm not necessarily better or worse with this newfound sense of fashion. Instead, I see this as proof that I've grown and learned from my experiences thus far.
In just one short year I've found new friends, new hobbies, and perhaps most importantly, a new acceptance for alterations. So what if I changed my major from sociology to neuroscience after only one semester of school, and I still have no concrete idea of where I'm going to be after college? I'm going with the flow and trying anything and everything I have even the slightest inclination to do because, even though it seems disorganized and pointless, it's exactly what I want.
