I have often come across the quote, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” Whenever I pondered over this question, I felt dispirited because I realized there’s so much out there that I still haven’t explored. As a college student, we all experience the feeling of ‘FOMO’ — the fear of missing out. In a colossal and cosmopolitan city like Boston, it often becomes perplexing to attempt to do everything you want because of the plethora of things happening around you.
On a Saturday morning, after feeling weary of always succumbing to FOMO and trying to be everywhere all at once, my best friend and I decided to change things for ourselves. We decided to make a Bucket List for our time at Boston University. There was so much to do and so little time! To kick-start to our goals and visions, we set our priorities straight by not having to compromise on our GPA’s. We started off by adding our academic goals first – internships we wanted to do, clubs we wanted to join, courses we wanted to take. This gave us fulfillment and opened up so many options for us. After this, we kept adding activities and events to our list and began crossing off each of the things, one step at a time.
On the 20th of January, I was sitting in the dining hall while one of my friends was urging me to go to the Celtics game that week. We were engrossed in a conversation about things we haven’t done yet but would love to. When I debated buying the tickets, his response was, “Who cares? It’s college! Go for it! It will be an experience like no other and you know it.” This urged me to make an impulsive decision and go to the Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets game that Wednesday.
However, as Wednesday approached, I was still unsure about going to the game because I wasn’t even a basketball fan to begin with. But I decided to go with my gut feeling and made my way to TD Garden. There was something so enthralling and nerve-wracking at the same time about this sentiment.
My friends and I rushed to the top of the arena through the crowds of people wearing green jerseys and cheering for the Tall Irish Leprechauns at the top of their lungs. At that moment, I felt an euphoric rush as I sat in my seat and overlooked the basketball court with fans surrounding it. There is a certain sentiment in people when they are expressing their passion. On that day, there was a consuming spark in the eyes of each of the fans and players in that stadium. Someone once told me, “What do you wake up for everyday? You must always have a purpose or passion in life that always keeps you moving forward.” This has always clung to me and I would often get frustrated over it because I hadn’t truly found my passion yet. I was still searching for it.
However, the most significant part of that Wesneaday night was not only the victory of the Boston Celtics against the Houston Rockets, but also the victory of feeling the passionate rush through my bones. The one thing I got from this experience is that, in this vast world, there are always going to be endless opportunities to explore and pursue the things you want. There will also be several distractions to stop us from pursuing what we really want. However, it is experiences like these that make me sure about what I want in my life.
Standing in TD garden, overlooking the Celtics and Houston players with my best friends, I was grateful to have the opportunity to pursue avant-garde experiences like this one in my life. Today, when someone asks me when was the last time I did something for the first time, I can proudly tell them that I might not have travelled all around the world and experienced everything yet, but I am getting there, one day at a time.
Make sure you follow the passion your heart desires and take time for the truly important experiences in your life!