Ti’Ana Marshall
99 Problems..Choosing a School is 1
Choose a school. Pick a career. Find a white picket fence, a dog, a wife, husband, and have a child—or two, or three.
Life is a whirlwind. A constant swirl of events that never seems to stop and in the midst of your roaring twenties, the roar of those winds are even louder.
This year alone, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 20.2 million students are enrolled in universities around the country.
20.2 million young minds going through a transition that is rarely talked about—the move from childhood to the feared “a” word (cue doomsday music) adulthood, also known as adulting.
20.2 million adults having to make decisions without a clue of what they are doing or really where they are going.
Stressful is not the word.
With all the talk of creating a bright future for oneself it can be overwhelming to say the least. I for one, am experiencing the feeling of this weight on my shoulders as I am moving from one part of life to the other, which is graduation from undergraduate student to graduate.
Transitioning from one part of life to another is never easy in fact, of the 20.2 million students enrolled in college at this very moment at least 7.2 million of those are expected to graduate this year alone.
I am counted among those 7.2 million and although it is exciting, it is scary all at the same time.
This weekend I traveled to Jonesboro, Arkansas in pursuit of my next step in life. As I rode down the open road full of anxiety I realized that I am truly not alone in moving forward, though it felt as such.
Several cars passed by me with Arkansas tags screaming of school spirit, all with the windows down and seeming to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
I stopped thinking so hard for just a moment and cranked up the radio the loudest it would go allowing myself to become lost in the harmony the road and I were creating.
The beauty of the fields whipping past my window, the bumping of the road underneath my Chevy Cruze was all amazing. Not to mention, the friendship I am sure I made with the girl rolling past me jamming to the same Beyonce song—I mean it was Beyonce, need I say more?
As I reached the crescendo of Upgrade you, I realized that in this second I was moving forward to upgrade myself. Change is good, and it should not be feared, but celebrated.
It is a time to enjoy where I and the 7.1 million others are in our lives, even if we are not so close to the white picket fence or the bushel of kids as we think we should be.
Take time to celebrate life. Turn your music up and lip sync your heart out to Beyonce, because…Beyonce!
Take joy in not knowing what is around the corner. This is the only time it will be okay not to know exactly where you are going. Realize that at twenty-something, confusion and uncertainty, even anxiety is all part of your adventure.
Embrace where you are, and look forward to what is ahead of you.
You will never be this young again. Make the best of it.