If you asked me three years ago, “Where do you see yourself during senior year in college?” I would respond, “My life together, internship under my belt, maintaining a healthy diet, and of course, in a relationship...” Ask me today, and I’ll say, “Trying to NOT eat a whole bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos for dinner.”
Besides the struggles of getting my everyday life “together,” I’ve decided that I don’t want to focus on someone else when I barely have time for myself. One thing a lot of people in their twenties forget is how young we are. As I scroll through social media, I see high school classmates who have kids and/or are already married. Now, this may be the life they’ve always wanted, which is great and I give an abundance of support to those who are ready to settle down at this age because dealing with actual adult responsibilities is very hard. But, I know for me, I’m far from wanting an everyday routine with another person.
Now you’re probably thinking my life goal is to be some traveling gypsy (which would be pretty cool, let’s be honest) but it’s not. Or maybe it is…? I’m not 100 percent sure on what I want. To be completely honest, I’m young and you’re young, so why think about wedding colors for your Pinterest board. Think about the places and things you want to experience before time gets away from you.
The most dreaded/obnoxious abbreviation YOLO (you only live once) actually comes in handy when you refer to it appropriately and not when you overdraw your bank account every time you go shopping (hi, that’s me). But it’s true; we are all only here for so long. So make the best of it! Don’t wait around for “that guy” to text you back if he doesn’t seem to give you the time of day. Don’t let that girl who drags you along on her Cruella de Vil leash like one of her many Dalmatians get you down.
From a girl who is 21 years old and far from knowing how to handle life situations the right way, I have been in the shoes of many at this age. You fall for someone and think, “Holy moly this person is amazing and actually accepts my weirdness! What is life?!” But then it ends… and in that moment, your happiness turns to sadness. You question yourself. Was I too weird? But you have to learn that everything happens for a reason. You met that one person for a reason. Maybe it was to experience something new or acquire a different music taste. No matter what it is, look back and thank them for the times you stayed up till sunrise sipping on wine talking about who has a better playlist or sneaking into your schools campus buildings at 2 a.m. because those moments brought joy to your life.
I’ve learned you can’t move on to something new until you forgive and accept the past. Today, if you were to ask me, "Where do you see yourself during your senior year in college," I would say, “Learning more about our world and what we can do to achieve a greater life for all, acquire a new hobby, and putting myself first instead of looking for “the one” or trying to please others.” Of course there’s more that I want to achieve, but I doubt you care to hear about my goals of wanting to win a food eating contest.
So worry about the objectives you want to achieve during your twenties, not when he/she is going to text you back. Be your own "BAE" during this crazy adventure we call life.
