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As we continue to adjust to the new semester, we’re afforded a time of fresh starts and of new beginnings. Summer is fading away, and the hopes and anxieties of the year stretch out ahead of us.
Some of us have a clear image of what it is we want for our future, and some of us are still trying to figure that out. The great thing is, whether you know your future or you don’t, we all get to figure out our path in the midst of community.
You and I are afforded hundreds of choices every day. Sometimes those decisions are small, insignificant. But other times, they hold big consequences - consequences that affect not just my future, but my present. And those bigger decisions that pop up in our life, especially if they’re unforeseen, oftentimes paralyze us with fear or anxiety.
We’re really only given two options here: we can make a rash decision based on impulse, or we can take breath, quiet our heart, and begin the journey of processing it.
If you take the first option, your decision will be made immediately. You can put it behind you, move on, and hope for the best. If you take the second option, your decision will be more drawn out. You’ll think about it a lot, worry about it, make lists of pros and cons. And even when you do finally make your choice, you still might have residual fear over whether or not it was the right choice.
When we find ourselves at such a crossroads, it is good that we are here. Because regardless of the fact that we are adults and we get to make adult decisions, we find ourselves in a place where we don’t ever have to make those decisions all on our own.
College is a great time to figure out who you are, and who you want to be. But it is also a time of constant change and transition, and that can be hard. Whether this is your first year on campus or your fourth, the choices that you are given never end, they just change. And in those moments, whether they be big or small, you are not alone. You have hundreds of fellow students attempting to figure it out, too. You have professors who do, earnestly, care about your well-being and the future you are attempting to build. You have a community of people who might not know all the answers, but is filled with people who will help you discover exactly what it is you are looking for. Lean into this reality.
Ask questions, dig deep, and allow yourself the grace to explore the journey that you are on. And when the choices seem to be burdensome, or you think you need a little help, don’t feel that you need to figure it all out on your own. Ask, and you will receive. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.
