i should listen to myself more often.

Congratulations. You did it. You are now one-quarter of the way through the second semester of your senior year in college.

Take a minute to let that statement sink in. Four years ago, did you ever think this day would come? Now that it's finally here, how do you feel? Are you upset, or are you relieved? Are you excited, or are you nervous? Are you counting down the hours and minutes between now and the moment you'll walk across the stage? Or are you in denial, hoping that one of these mornings you'll wake up back in the warm days of August and September, when the end was only just beginning?

This isn't a dream. This is the real thing. Every second turns into another minute, every minute turns into another hour, every hour turns into another day closer to May 15, 2010. It's coming, whether we want it to or not. Are you ready?

Of course you're ready. We're all ready. We wouldn't have made it this far if we weren't. All those hours spent in class, every exam and every paper, all that time spent in office hours or at club meetings or at practices, even those weekend nights full of less-than-great decisions, all of it was meant to prepare us for this.

We're approaching an emormous crossroads. There are an infinite number of paths lying before us. We can choose to follow any one of them, each one with its own infinite number of forks and branches ahead.

Which one will you choose?

You have the education. You have the training and the experience. You have the tools you need to arrive safely at your destination, wherever that may be. No doubt there will be some bumps in the road, some minor and some huge, and you'll certainly have to take a few detours along the way. Those unexpected turns, however, are the intricate and exceptional details that complete a life story.

So listen to yourself, follow your heart, trust your instincts, and pick the path you feel drawn to, knowing that you have what it takes to make it past whatever obstacles lie ahead. Don't doubt your abilities; if you made it this far alive and intact, you can certainly keep going. Nothing is ever set in stone. You have the rest of your life ahead of you--there's plenty of time in there to experience the unknown, make mistakes, learn from them, and change directions.

In the end, wherever you end up is exactly where you're supposed to be.




Best of luck on whichever path you choose :)
-Jenn G.



Comments

  1. Jennifer Ann--this should be required reading for every college senior at this point. I hope you at least make all of your friends read it. Really, really terrific writing.

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