Enjoy the Sunshine
The end of the year is almost upon us. Summer with its oppressive heat and three months away from school (if you’re lucky) is so close. Remember the days back in elementary school, when summer break truly was a break, before we needed jobs or internships during the summer to prepare us for the future? Ah, those were the days. My lineup for the summer includes one summer class and spending the rest of the time shadowing a veterinarian. Don’t get me wrong: I’m really looking forward to shadowing, but I miss a time when I could afford to be lazy during the summer. I once was able to write an entire novel in the three months, and I was quite proud of myself. But those days seem to have passed. Now it feels like a race to be prepared to get into veterinary school, with classes to finish and experience to gain. When’s a person able to lay out with a good book anymore? I guess I’ve pretty well accepted the fact that I’ve still got a long way to go and a lot of hard work still to do. All that is done in the hopes that I’ll end up with the career of my choosing. And with that, the hard work will pay off with opportunities to enjoy myself in a secure situation. That’s the plan, but we can’t get there without a few sacrifices.
But I have not given up everything I enjoy and in fact have made opportunities out of a few. I have been enjoying being a member of a writing club called Creative Writers of Aggieland and can happily say that next year I will be learning new leadership skills as the president of the club. I don’t intend to give up that pleasure in the near future. I like to think that writing helps keep me sane. It’s therapeutic to write about emotions and secret wishes and desires. And no one understands this quite like other writers. The club is a great way to connect with peers with similar interests, even if they have different backgrounds. Members of the club have several different kinds of majors, but all share the common denominator of a love of writing.
I’m a big believer that everyone should keep up with at least one of their personal interests and not let it get pushed completely away. This school affords so many opportunities to pursue personal interests. There are hundreds of clubs and thousands of people to connect with. Odds are that someone shares your interests and is just as eager to share it with someone else. It may not be easy for some of us to try to make connections, but that’s what Texas A&M is all about. Networking is a big part of our university as well as a very important resource for the future. So technically, making friends is going to help with your future.
In a time of our lives when we feel the stress of preparing for the rest of our lives, we have to make sure we don’t completely burn ourselves out. Take time to enjoy the other aspects of the college experience, not just classes and studying. Summer may no longer be a relaxing time, but step out and enjoy the sunshine while you can.