I remember sitting in my freshman dorm room, feeling isolated, stressed out, and unhappy. I was in the first semester of my first year of college, and while this should have been one of the most exciting times of my life, I felt stuck. I was not happy there, and I desperately wanted to transfer schools. When I first told my mom my thoughts, she was astonished. She comforted me, and tried to reassure me that it was a hard time for all freshmen and encouraged me to give the school another chance. I felt as though I let my mom down; that transferring would make me a failure and that I was doing something wrong. “Everyone else seems to doing great in college,” I thought. “Maybe I’m not even ready for it.”
After deliberating, I finally transferred to the lovely UMass Amherst with the support of my family, and felt completely at home. The college I previously attended simply did not suit me, and while it was tough, I did something to change that. I learned a lot throughout the transition. I finally realized how important it was to not live our lives according to plan. While it may seem like you need to have everything figured out, but it does not matter too much if you have to take an extra semester of classes, change schools, or even just reconsider your goals.
One day last year, my aunt sent me a Facebook message with her favorite quote, “Life’s not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” This quickly became one of my favorites, as it perfectly explained the best way to cope when the world seems to turn upside down. Of course, it comes with its seemingly impossible challenges, but bearing with them is worth it in the end.
Regardless of the situation you are in, life is bound to throw you some curveballs. And when it doesn’t live up to our picture-perfect plans, we can realize that a better one is on the way. Change is scary, yet inevitable. Imperfection is what makes life beautiful, and by realizing that, we can be happier.