This is my last week as a student; my last week in formal education. This is a day I’ve thought about since 4th grade when I would wonder who I’d be then and what I’d be up to. It’s finally here - and I’m very excited for it.
However, I also find myself a little torn, and it’s a kind of funny feeling. There are a lot of things I have done in College that many others have not, and vice-versa. As I walk through town on these last few days and see everyone out and about, I’ve been reflecting on the things I never did - and it has reminded me of a quote that I really love:
If I didn’t do something in College, that’s because I didn’t think it was the best thing to do out of all the options presented, and I take comfort in that. Now, sometimes I missed things, but hindsight is 20/20.
The things that I didn’t do fall privilege to the Daisy Buchanan Effect. Having not been a part of these activities or organizations and not having anything but my imagination to ground me in them, I am allowed to build them up into something quite amazing that they could never actually live up to, i.e. what Jay Gatsby does to Daisy Buchanan throughout The Great Gatsby. I have to remind myself of that sometimes. Especially with social media these days, things often look a lot more fun than they were.
I don’t regret anything, I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything. Without this experience I would not be the person I am today, or where I am right now. I’ve met some amazing people, many of whom are going to be present in my life until we die. Wondering about the past and if you missed out on anything is natural. Hopefully you can look back and say to yourself, “I have simply tried to do what seemed best each day, as each day came”, for that is all you can do.