December 28, 2009
I am two weeks out of graduation. I’ve actually been texting a friend of mine and thought this was worth putting on paper.
He mentioned how he was avoiding adulthood, so I gave him the following advice:
Stay in school as long as possible. Then, graduate single. Take some time to breathe after the fact and then really start figuring out who you are.
Let’s be honest, college is not real life. I thought a million times I was “discovering myself” in college and that I was growing and changing so much. And while in reality I was, it didn’t count until now.
So I’ve only been a college graduate for two weeks now, how in the world does such a short time qualify me to make such a statement?
Here’s the thing: I’ve come to the realization that at some point in our lives, we will all have this moment. The moment where we wake up one morning and go, what am I doing and who the heck am I? The moment where we realize that we are blatantly unaware of who we really are.
For some, this moment happens fast; usually when life has happened fast and is going at such a pace that the person can’t afford to not figure it out. For others, it’s come to be affectionately known as a mid-life crisis. Yes, we all realize at some point we don’t know who we are. The reality is, everything I need to know in life I never actually learned in college.
I think the reason I’ve come to this place so fast is because everything changed so quickly for me. College for me was a time of stability. I was overly involved and fiercely dedicated to what I was doing. SBLC was my everything and I loved it. But it all ended very abruptly and when the book slammed shut, I got my fingers caught. It was literally everything I ever knew.
So the equation is simple for me: what do you get when you take a comfortable person and remove from their life very suddenly everything they’ve known for nearly 4 years? Let me answer this one: a very lost individual.
I’ve come to the place where I have to figure out who I am because I have no other choice. I have nothing to turn to or hide behind. I am exposed.
