A lot of people think that comfort equals complacency. If an environment no longer stimulates, shocks, or surprises its inhabitants, it should be traded out for a new one. I never really subscribed to this idea. While I do believe that transition and change can be both uncomfortable and beneficial, I’ve always found that becoming comfortable in myself and the places that I’ve belonged to has resulted in success rather than complacency.
This is why, for me, the in-between has always been tough to navigate. When I refer to “the in-between,” I’m talking about time periods in which we look ahead to or worry about the future, so much so that we fail to live in the present. Kind of like the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Personally, I focus so much of my energy on simply making it through those grueling winter weeks to finish up finals that I leave no room to simply be in the moment.
I would love to get my hands on a list of steps made to help me navigate the in-between. Due to the fact that I thrive when I’ve been given time to adjust to a place or idea, I struggle to appreciate the relevance of uncertainty. The truth is that nobody can predict the future. While I want to believe that I’ll become comfortable again after making it through transitional periods, I don’t know if that will definitely be the case.
This is all to say that I’m trying to learn how to appreciate discomfort. I know that I thrive when I feel secure, but what’s the worst that could happen if I embrace the in-between rather than rushing to avoid it? Instead of trying to plow ahead to times when I feel comfortable, I want to try to appreciate every little moment and interaction, every difficulty. I definitely haven’t perfected this process, but I believe that every college student could benefit from taking a step back to understand the precise time that he or she is living in. Whether it be the in-between, the before, or the after, each moment can be savored and enjoyed. We don’t need to have it all figured out, and maybe feeling a little lost can actually be transformative.