The school year is over, which means that I will finally be able to dedicate time to this blog. I am sad to be halfway done with college, but at the same time, I feel so blessed to be attending such a wonderful school with such fantastic people. Every day I spent there brought something joyful, insightful, moving, or simply hilarious to my life. I have so many stories, I don't even know where I would be able to begin to tell them.
I had the pleasure of staying on campus for an extra week so that I would be able to sing at the Commencement Mass as part of the liturgical choir. With the school missing about three thousand members of its population, the campus felt quite empty - but, as I found out, solitude can be lovely. That is, until all of those hours spend reading in the sunlight transform into sunburn.
I should be getting to a point in this post by now, I suppose. On this past Friday morning, I had an adventure. My friend needed me to drive with him to the impound to pick up his car, which had been towed, and I was happy to oblige. On the way back to campus, however, I got lost. I am a terribly nervous driver in general, and the moment we got on the highway (which, at 8:30 in the morning was more like a parking lot than anything), I knew that I was in trouble. I accidentally got off on an exit that promised to take me to Cape Cod, and so, my short voyage through Providence began. I made it back to campus quite safely within twenty minutes, but along the way, I had to follow a very important rule: Don't Panic. For any of you who have read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams, you might recognize this phrase. I started panicking the moment I got onto the highway, which proved to be a problem - but as soon as I realized my mistake, and the fact that I would have to get back to school without a map or GPS, I knew that panicking would get me nowhere (literally).
The reason I relate this anecdote is this: in life, I feel that we spend too much time in states of panic, anxiety, and general nervousness. We doubt our abilities, our gifts, our communication skills - be it driving on the highway, performing on the piano, or going in for an interview. Our nerves seem to be very likely to gang up on us, gag-and-bind us, and render us, in some cases, completely useless. Have confidence in yourself and in your ability to handle situations, and have hope in the knowledge that everything will turn out alright. Nearly all things in life that lead us to panic are passing things; of course there will be things truly worth worrying about, but it is especially important in those cases to channel feelings of anxiety into more constructive emotions. I will probably explore this topic more at another time, but for now, I will leave this where it is.
After my driving escapade, and a trip to the bakery with my friends, I got back to campus only to encounter a newswoman and her cameraman. They wanted to ask us our opinions on the job market - and so, I made my first appearance on local television. Unfortunately, I do not think that I my opinions were exactly what the reporter wanted to hear. When the woman asked her questions, I answered as something that you will very rarely see on television any more: as an optimist.
I understand that our economy is in a bad place, and that jobs seem very difficult to come by. People normally scoff or look at me incredulously when I tell them that I am an English Creative Writing major - "Do you want a job?" is a question that I get a lot. I understand where they are coming from, I really do, but it seems much more constructive for me to live full of hope rather than the depressing, imprisoning certainty that I will never be employed. Because, in my understanding of life, confidence and a can-do attitude are two of the key ingredients in landing a job. The media thrives off of misery and despondency, and so they continue to feed the American public a diet of negativity and hopelessness. It's a vicious cycle.
Here's the truth: the economy will improve. You will get a job, provided that you work for it. You might not start out with your dream job, but in reality, few people do. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't stop trying! Stephen King worked in an industrial laundromat for years before he finally published his first novel. He labored by day and wrote by night, and no matter how many rejection notes he received, he refused to give up. (I'm sure that there are many other great examples; I just happen to be on a Stephen King kick right now...)
I'm sorry if this post seems a little all over the place. I'm new to this whole blogging thing, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon enough. Until next time, have a beautiful day!
