I couldn’t think of anything to write this week, so I thought I’d write a silly anecdote that has a serious life lesson. When I was 7, I lost everything. And by everything, I mean a bag full of some of my most treasured possessions; like some candy and video games. At the time, I had been with my Dad, Grandpa, and brother, visiting a bunch of different places in New York City, my favorite two being the M&M and Hersey’s chocolate store. They were big, colorful, and full of chocolate. To say I was excited would be an understatement. That was of course until I was in the backseat, waking up from my nap on our way home, looking to play some Mario kart when I realized my small red bag full of all the things that mattered to me was gone. This included 14 dollars (all my savings), a pack of orange tic tacs (my favorite), my D.S.I., 7 D.S.I. Games, peppermint and caramel hershey’s kisses, and one of my favorite stuffed animals named magnet bear. Immediately, through sobs, I told my dad to turn around. He didn’t; we were already two hours away. However, he did call all the stores we had gone too (too many), our hotel, and the restaurants where we had eaten. No one had it. I cried, complained, and felt deeply sad for about 3 days.
This dramatization towards lost material items lasted until I was about 13 when, for some reason, I stopped caring. Rather than acting like losing something was the end of the world, I acted like losing whatever it was wasn’t a big deal. In fact, I have become so nonchalant about losing things, it actually freaks other people out. “You locked yourself out again?” That’s a sentence I’ve heard many times from too many people. They always look very panicked and disappointed because they know I have lost my key and locked myself out of my room more than I can count on one hand. It’s embarrassing. However, I never panic when it happens. I just accept my circumstances and move on. This is probably why I lose so many things; it doesn’t bother me when it happens. Which all leads me to a greater point. As I have grown older (though I am still very young), I have noticed that I have become incredibly different, where my personality shifts from one end of the spectrum to the other. Although this sometimes comes with many benefits (in this case being more calm under pressure), I have noticed that it comes with the same magnitude of fallbacks (losing things more often, being careless). Therefore, I have adapted the mindset that everything in life needs to be balanced. Sleep is important. Careers goals are a must. Relationships are essential. Therefore, you can’t ever throw all your eggs in one basket. For example, saying that your life is going to solely be devoted to a book you’re trying to write and everything else is unimportant: that isn’t healthy. Rather, there needs to be moderation. So, the best advice I can give someone is to sleep, but also go on a run; do work, but also watch some netflix; and be okay with losing your room key, but try and remember where you put it next time!