I was scrolling on TikTok a few nights ago (fingers crossed it does not get banned soon!!) when I came across a quote slideshow. One of the quotes discussed how important it is to stop labeling things as “special”. For instance, a “special” perfume you only use for “special” occasions, or a fancy dress you only wear for specific events. Why wait to use those items? Not to be somber, but life can be pretty unpredictable and in the future you will wish you wore that dress more often and you will wish you spritzed that “special” perfume on the daily. You can always buy more perfume and replace a fancy dress or piece of jewelry, but you cannot get those precious moments back. In a few years, you will wish you had taken advantage of all of the wonderful things around you that brought you happiness. Why not label every day as “special” in its own way?! Why not think of every day as important as the last?!
As a graduating senior, I started realizing how special each day I have left at Bucknell is, no matter how similar they all feel. It may be the last day I get my order at the bison, the last time I sit on the third floor of the library, or the last time I can dress up for class. Speaking from experience, I, myself, have my own items labeled as “special” or “for certain occasions only”. I hate to say it was a TikTok that made me realize how simpleminded that was, or maybe it was the looming graduation date over my head.
For example, I recently did a time capsule for one of my classes where we had to put an item inside to dig up five years later. I found myself struggling to pick one “special” thing and after a few hours of debating, I finally realized anything I own could be labeled as “special” if I overthink it enough. After this realization, I picked up an old photograph from freshman year and a sticker I bought abroad in a matter of ten minutes and then was off to class.
Do not save something waiting for a “special” day to arrive. Rather, think of each day as special in its own unique way. I’m not saying you need to buy a million bottles of your “special” perfume, I am saying do not wait to use it thinking a better day is going to arrive, rather than today and right now. I am sure things that you once thought of as being special now sit in a storage box somewhere random in your house. Take advantage of what you have here and now, and live each day as if it will never happen again–because that’s the truth!