I truly live for those moments where my life feels like it is coming full circle. They do not signify life ending, just moments that are "completing," giving us a chance to grow. Some might say full circle moments do not happen during the teenage years because teens are simply too young and have not lived long enough for things and moments to feel complete. I, however, disagree and believe that these moments do happen and they are the ones that can really make us feel like we are growing from what we were and evolving simultaneously.
A full circle feeling can come from almost any situation, hearing a song during a particular event in your life and hearing it again during a similar event later in life, working at a place you enjoyed going to when you were younger, visiting a vacation spot with your significant other that your parents once took you to, the list goes on, and young adults can relate to these things. These events are not always life-changing, and sometimes it is the most exciting to have something small happen and notice how it can affect our mood and our view of the situation.
If we look at the entire span of our expected lifetime, we grow up so much within what is seemingly a short amount of time. In about three years, we move up from middle school and catch the tail end of our "awkward stage," high school flies by and we are expected to decide what we want to do for the rest of our lives. During this time we make friends, try lots of new things and have experiences that we think we may never get a chance to have ever again. The element of surprise is there when we get to have similar experiences later in life and that nostalgia can make us feel even more youthful and bring us back to a different time.
These moments are like our personal time machines to the past while keeping our feet right on the ground in the present.
For the past few years I have worked as a counselor at the same summer camp I went to when I was younger. It is one of the most unique feelings to see my campers enjoy the things I did when I went to camp and have them ask me similar questions I asked my own counselors. Even though it was not that long ago, this memory feels so complete and I am so happy to start every lanyard project and participate in every relay race. It is my favorite thing to teach them my favorite games I learned as a camper, an experience I did not think I would have when I was little.
It is important to be thankful for these times in our lives, to be able to see how far we have come. On days when we feel unaccomplished, unmotivated or even unbecoming, we can pause and think about all the little experiences that have added up and have shaped us into who we are today, and all the ones coming up that will further shape us into who we want to be.
