People Leave and Plans Change: A Lesson in Adaptability by Anna

People Leave and Plans Change: A Lesson in Adaptability by Anna - December 2022 Scholarship Essay

As a college student I am at a point in my life where everything changes constantly. My relationships from high school disappear and new friendships in college come and go. Every time I go home my siblings are two inches taller and act grown up. My grades especially change with every assignment, quiz, and exam that I take. The only thing that remains constant is the fact that I am living my life. I may be changing as a person, but I am still me. I learned that it is necessary for me to be okay with going through so much change right now in order to keep my sanity. And this lesson will hopefully carry over into 2023 and help my goal to make it a much less stressful year.

I spent much of my time in 2022 worrying about the next assignment. If my grades were okay. If my siblings were doing okay at school. If my parents were healthy and managing on their own. If my seat mate in calculus three was going to be my next friend or if they were just an acquaintance. So many ifs. But this was causing me more anxiety than it was really worth. Because at the end of every week I was still okay. My grades were fine, and my family had nothing bad to report. Time kept ticking and the world was still spinning.

It was those times when I lost friends that got to me most and took longer to recover from. But the recovery still happened. Six months ago, my friend group looked totally different. And now I have fewer friends, but I know they are quality and care about me. So why was I so worried? Because I was so used to my high school routine. I hadn't realized until recently that I really wasn't in high school anymore. I don't have the same routine and responsibilities. 2022 had shown me that some of my friends weren't my true friends, and although it hurt to lose them, I was still grateful they were gone, and I had healed.

Adulthood is about learning that not everything goes as planned. You can't see very far into the future anymore. People leave and plans change. Everybody wants a less stressful life and I'm hoping that this lesson helps me. Being more adaptable and learning that everything is temporary at my stage of life will help me to take on stressors with new confidence. I plan to make 2023 a year of achievement without worrying myself over the little things.