Saturday I spent a quiet day with Love in a strange space to spend one's weekend; my old Community College. It was hard to believe that 5 years ago I was running around it with all the woes of my world buried on my shoulder in a backpack of textbooks. The mood was eerie and estrange for the memorable location, as you might have guessed there was almost no one in sight. We had gone there for a sort of picnic and our college favorite boba shop was right across the street from the campus so we thought, 'Why not? The weather is finally cold!', so we went.
As we ate, I couldn't help to stare at one of the largest buildings on campus that was home to most of the Humanities classes and where I spent most of my years. On the top level, with billowing curtains and tall windows was the ever memorable Art101. Seeing it made my mind spin, I can't believe that only those very 5 years ago did I drop out and fail that class never to complete it. I just simply couldn't concentrate, it was nothing like what I learned in any art class. Nothing like my high school or Art Center classes; through the subject was the same it was agitating to me. Truth be told, it was just to stiff for an art class.
I cried a whole semester after the second time I left that class. I swore I would never get my Bachelor's in Art after that. It was so far away in that semester, I swore I would be stuck in junior college forever. I reconsidered the back up plan of teaching, I switched my major to Art History and plowed through a semester of all the requirements for that major. Eventually I dropped out of that semester as well as I planned my first Theatre Production. Everything seems to be a blur after that, and somehow everything fell into the right place. I wish I could have told my younger self that it was all going to be AMAZING and more than she could ask for, but I would have ruined the surprise.
As we left the campus it got me to thinking, I now have that degree of my dreams from a college I love. Still, I have problems; new problems I would have never considered years ago. I wonder, what would my future self tell me? Would she even or would she leave it as a surprise?
Life has its surprises, they can be either good or bad. Still I can recall that semester of tears as being one of the biggest blessings for me. I had the desire to fight, to create, to transfer. I needed that push; the determination to want better, and I went with it. Life's not meant to be taken so seriously, it was given as a blessing to enjoy and thrive in. I encourage you to think of this: where were you 5 years ago? What hardships did you over come? More importantly, what simple happiness did you have?
Treasure that. Treasure it all, and let life thrive.
-Stef
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