It has been said that the best years of one’s life are those spent in school. I hope this isn’t true, for if it is, then the best years of my life are, for the most part, over. But it is true that schools often act as shields or fortresses, steadfastly protecting their own from the dangers and insecurities of the outside world. As students’ lives naturally revolve around school, a shift in their end-of-year perception occurs. The new year comes when summer begins.
Summers are magical periods of fun and relaxation, true. But more than the trips to the beach and catching up with old friends, they are also a time for introspection. Be it new notebooks, uniforms, classmates, teachers, courses, or even new schools – summer breathes new life into each student and gives each one the opportunity for a fresh start the following year. As for the fresh graduate, a whole new world opens. And when this does, it is often as confusing as it is thrilling.
It’s been almost a year since the day I handed in my last exam and ran around campus shouting for joy like a madman. It was euphoria for weeks on end. But when time came for me to decide on which path to take, reality came crashing down and I began to long for the days when everything was safe and sure, and when choice and responsibility were words which meanings I had yet to understand. This was when it hit me. Though I had thought otherwise, I wasn’t really prepared for change.
On my resume, I had then written that I was "flexible and adaptive to changes as required to balance a demanding schedule of academic and extracurricular activities." I wanted to cross this out and call all those I had submitted this to, for who was I kidding? I was still scared of what was out there. Flexibility and adaptability were probably not the best words to capture me in entirety. Thus it was in no way easy for me to make the decision, which led to my being in a foreign place.
Today, as I watch and listen to the ramblings of the soon-to-be graduates, I can’t help but smile at how familiar it all sounds. When friends ask me how I eventually made my decision, I can give no comprehensible answer except for, "it was a leap of faith." And possibly, the gradual realization that the old adage that "man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore" holds more truth than given credit for.
Whether it’s finding a new job, falling in love, making a new friend, saying sorry to an old one, or changing an aspect of one’s character – today or at the turning point of one’s life, an action that involves the possibility of being hurt is never easy to make. But for us to grow, discover, and reach the fulfillment of our dreams, it is never enough to stay forever as we are today. And it is ironic that after all these years of having a slight aversion to television, I get this wisdom from watching high-school boy Ephram Brown on the Warner Bros.’ Show surprisingly wise-beyond-its-years show Everwood.