Our time on earth is limited; we are here and gone in an instant.
If you were to watch time go by from its beginning; you would blink and miss thousands of lives. I think understanding and accepting our own mortality is a good first step into truly living. It motivates us to make the most of the time we have without worrying about the fact that it is all going to end, because that is inevitable. I have made it a mission in life to make the most of my time by becoming as well-rounded as possible. This has been an amazing and successful journey but is not without its setbacks. While I reach out and grab every opportunity and learn a lot about myself along the way, I also spend time worrying about opportunities I let slip by and I don’t go as far in each endeavor as I might if my devotion to experiences was more focused. Don’t get me wrong; I love the thrill of a new challenge, but there is something to be said about devotion to a single activity. Take dance as an example. I will never get to be a professional dancer because, although I have danced for 15 years, I was distracted by school and sailing and skiing and art and writing and the list goes on and on. All of this is to say I did it again. I saw an opportunity the other morning at 8:00 am and after briefly consulting my family and a quick prayer, I decided to take it. I am not sure what I was expecting to come of a decision I made before I was consciously awake; but I certainly was surprised at the result.
This is how it went: I woke up early, it being the first week of classes and all, and turned on my phone to see what early risers might have messaged me while I was cocooned in a pile of blankets, hiding from the cold winter morning. There was an email in my inbox from the Women’s Studies (WS) department about an internship. Apparently the intern who was signed up had to turn it down and they were looking for someone else to fill the spot. The internship would be focused on social media and publishing. That sounded interesting to me so I set up an interview with the head of the department. Now, I am a freshman and have only taken two classes towards my minor in Social Justice and Leadership, neither of which happen to be actual classes in Women’s Studies. So, I can’t say I was excepting anything from the interview except the opportunity to see and talk to one of the nicest ladies I have met on campus; but I figured getting my face out there again couldn’t hurt as I would have to do a capstone project in the future if I didn’t get the internship now. I thought the interview went pretty well, but all day I was thinking about what I should have said and forgot. I never even passed along my resume that I had prepared. Before I went to bed I prayed that if it wasn’t meant to be that nothing would come of it, because I knew if I was accepted I would put my whole heart into it and that’s a lot of time and energy. The next morning as I sat down for my anatomy lecture I got the email and the internship.
Now my life is taking an unexpected turn, the roller-coaster is moving and I can’t jump off.
I took the opportunity and now I’m holding onto my firm foundation in Jesus for dear life; thrilled and hoping I made the right choice, but knowing He is there for me whatever comes.
Here is my point: Go For It! whoever you are and whatever it is you dream to do. Please, don’t tell yourself you can’t do something. Even if all the odds are stacked against you and it seems like you have no chance; you never know what people are looking for. They may be looking for someone just like you. So if you’re passionate about something, don’t put yourself down at the starting line.
There are plenty of people out there who will try to drag you down and put doubt in your heart and you don’t need to be one of them. I am rooting for you!
P.S. In my experiences it has always been worth it to try new things even if you don’t think you will enjoy them. The worst that usually happens is finding out you don’t like something after all and hey, at least you learned something. Last night I went to my first UNH hockey game and, even though I have never been into sports, I found myself moved by the crowed and the music and ended up having a really good time. Part of that had to do with the fact that I told my friend I wanted the band to play the imperial march when they came on the ice to intimidate the other team, and they actually played it when the other team made penalties. Needless to say, my nerdy side was overjoyed. I had a great night and although I probably won’t be sitting in the stands for every game; if someone asked I would definitely go again.
Moses Supposes 