A Note on Reliance

Note: I would like to preface with the fact that these are the experiences of one person, who despite having struggles and challenges here and there is very lucky. Part of this platform is to keep logs of the present day, and these are mine. 

It's been a little over a year since graduating college and the past year has been by far the most challenging year of my life. It was a perfect storm of a lot of changes at once, combined by bad timing and generally dealing with growing up very quickly from a small college town. One of the hardest parts of finishing school is experiencing the feeling of finishing something that you've been working towards for over 20 years and realizing that you are only at the start of your "real life." Throw in a new environment and take away a roadmap and community you've been in for four years combined with life changes that happen as you get older (ie: a family move, death of grandparents ect.) and elements of a new life that most are fairly unprepared for (navigating finances, moving and a new schedule) can make things feel overwhelming at times. 

I have come to know the importance of making a community in the adult world. I may not have a million friends and have a much smaller, tighter group of friends than at Bucknell, but it works for me, and those people are my rocks and voice of reason. 

Of course, it's important to put things into perspective as well. Living in New York, it's easy to see that there are plenty of people who deal with issues that many of us cannot ever imagine. For example, this morning, after a long week and a day off, I found out that my wallet was left in my shopping cart because I was distracted last night while carrying 5 bags and being on the phone. I had a moment of crying on the phone to my mom, and tried to move on. However, at least I had a wallet to lose and the ability to replace everything within a week. It could be a big issue or something smaller, but also frustrating like losing a wallet and thinking that you can never catch a break (aka me a couple of hours ago). It's also really easy to think that where you are now is the only place you will ever be in your life. My boyfriend Luc, often reminds me that the problems now will be irrelevant in a year or two. 

Being young is often discounted as not knowing much, but I couldn't disagree more. I think being young and less established in the "real world" means being able to bring fresh prospective. We are a little less tainted by the establishments that slowly creep into adult life. I don't want to be jaded, and I hope you don't either. 

It's ok to struggle- and to ask for help when needed. What isn't is to not keep on going. Of course, for your own success, but also for anyone who may be looking to you for inspiration to succeed. It may mean having to call someone trusted and let it out. Something that has been extremely comforting is the knowledge that the transition to life after school is difficult for everyone. Everyone goes through sketchy apartments, difficult jobs and keeping financially afloat, whether they admit it or not. As long as we can lick our wounds and keep going, that's all that matters and come out better from it. {Image}