Every moment in life begins with a decision.
They can be as simple as deciding if you really need that cream in your coffee or whether you want to wear your new shirt to work. Sometimes, life likes to throw incredibly difficult choices into the mix. Is it time to part ways with your high school lover? What if you really don’t think you belong in the major you chose to pursue in college? You’re twenty, so shouldn’t you have your life figured out by now? Our world is filled with questions, and it feels like they become increasingly harder to answer as time goes by.
Answering arduous questions often requires taking chances. We risk a lot for our own happiness. Wouldn’t it be better to take the easy way out of hard situations? Effortless and elementary, maybe, but certainly not fulfilling.
When I was in elementary school, I would cry on the first day of every year, begging my mom to bring me back home so we could eat macaroni and cheese and watch Disney movies. I was terrified to find out what the day would bring. I didn’t want to meet anyone new, or have to find someone to eat lunch with. Middle school was dull, dragging on forever. As an introverted person, I found it increasingly difficult to make friends. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I took my first chance.
The band and choir were riding the same bus to a music event where we would each sing a song or play a piece that we had prepared for judges. I was sitting by myself, loneliness seeping into my chest, as everyone else talked to their friends. The last people filtered on and one girl didn’t have a spot to sit. She ended up sliding in next to me, taking the aisle seat.
I introduced myself, nervously, and she told me her name was Sylvie.
The rest of the day was a blur of fun. We laughed the entire way up to the event about nothing and everything at the same time. There was an instant connection between us that I haven’t shared with anyone else. It was the kind of moment that felt like it was fabricated perfectly for us.
From that day forward, Sylvie introduced me to some of my life long friends, and our friendship grew. I finally had someone to sit with at lunch. We shared sleepovers, secrets, an understanding of each other and a love for music that brought us closer together. We suffered through hardships, family difficulties and mental strains hand-in-hand.
It was strenuous and terrifying to show Sylvie who I truly was. I didn’t pretend or alter myself into something that she wanted. Had I not introduced myself and opened up to her, I fear that I would have never realized how wonderful taking chances can truly be. After high school graduation, my life steam-rolled itself into something wonderful that I am proud to call my own. I’m a student ambassador at my incredible university, hold a spot in the alto section of our top choir, volunteer at a hospital every week and train new members of my department at Target. Never before have I felt so appreciated and enjoyed life to its fullest extent.
I love the life I’m living, thanks to the chances I’ve decided to take along the way.
