My roommate and I got into a deep conversation about where our lives are headed, our view on relationships, the upcoming end of college for the both of us, etc. I told her the thought of getting married made me hyperventilate because I feel so unready for that. Her answer was one that I've been thinking about ever since:
"The problem is that we have been raised to think of our lives as a series of big moments:
the day we walk for the first time
the day we start kindergarten
the day we ride on our first airplane
the day we learn to drive
the day we lose our virginity
the day we can vote
the day we graduate
the day we leave home for college
the day we graduate again
they we start our big-kid jobs
the day we get married
the day we have a baby
the day we retire
the day we have grandbabies
Life would seem so much less scary if we would stop thinking of life as a series of big moments we can't get back but instead, treat each day like a small adventure."
I've been thinking of how often I've done just that. I've invested all my energy into getting excited for graduation, which is 9 whole months away! That's 9 months that I could be living. It may not be huge, mindboggling, exciting adventures; but it's not something to just skip over or fear.
"My whole life I've been telling myself 'don't be afraid.' And it is only now that I'm realizing how stupid that is. Don't be afraid. Like saying 'don't move out of the way when someone tries to punch you' or 'don't flinch at the heat of a fire' or 'don't blink.' Don't be human. I'm afraid and you're afraid and we're all always going to be afraid, because that's the point.
What I should be telling myself is 'be afraid, but do it anyway.' Live anyway."
