The truth is, I have no clue what I am doing. I am 22 years young and I am terrified of admitting that. To quote the great philosopher Taylor Swift, "I think 22 is a metaphor for embracing the fact that you don't know anything in life. Everything is uncertain and embracing the excitement of that uncertainty is what youth is supposed to be about."
There is no formula, no guidebook, no way to figure out what the heck we are doing with our lives. Sometimes it feels like the world is ending (heads up, it's not), and sometimes it feels like life is the most amazing feeling in the world.
There are so many of us who are just (cue: Taylor Swift's "22" song) "happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time. It's miserable and magical. Oh, yeah."
The magical days are amazing, and the miserable days are rough. When I feel incredibly frustrated and emotionally drained, I complain and rant. Sometimes, I weakly laugh it off but even then, I feel incredibly lost. But then, perspective kicks in.
I think of what I went through to get to where I am now. I think of my life after the car accident and how I fought to stay alive. I think of what my parents went through at my age to make it in a foreign country and the racial slurs thrown their way. Life is short and I am very lucky to be alive. Perspective and gratitude can change your life.
I love discussing this what-are-we-doing-with-our-lives topic with other recent college grads. We quickly realized that we know very little about the world. And, as terrifying as that was (at first), it's actually an incredible gift. We are given the amazing opportunity to learn everything we can. From life lessons and skills acquired at institutions, we are slowly building our toolkits for the rest of our lives.
In college, I was used to going to class, reading books, taking midterms, furiously writing term papers all night, and knowing how well I did by a grade on my transcript. There was a beginning and an end to the class. The "real world" is very much like a class but there is no ending in sight.
It is, quite frankly, the best and most challenging class that I have ever taken. I have met so many new friends in this class who have taught me to be a better person. I have also met some not-so-nice people who have taught me how to not be a mean person. I have learned so much from my post-grad life experiences, and I look forward to all the new memories coming my way.
Cheers to the real world. Trust me, it's going to be an awesome ride.