To be a verb

I once overheard a girl- a girl wise beyond her years- outwardly comforting one of my closest friends despite hardly knowing her at the time. We had just met this aforementioned wise girl while she stayed with us on a weekend trip. From the moment I met her just hours prior, she became engrained in my mind as someone who could not be compared to anyone I already knew. This girl serves as the opener to this particular piece of writing because I will never forget what I overheard her share so effortlessly. 

“We are human beings in a world full of made-up ideas. We are fluid; we are allowed to change our minds.”

I moved quicker to grab my phone immediately following that moment than I’d ever moved in my life. My fingers typed furiously as I imprinted these powerful words into my little Notes app, preserving them for future use and to serve as an essential reminder. If there was ever a moment of eavesdropping that I could not regret less, this was the one.

Growing up, I found myself ever so grateful for the consistency of my life. I look back on my childhood, all the way even through high school, and the word steady comes to mind. I think I always knew that there were a whole lot of open ends to what my future would hold, but I never imagined that I would experience the amount of drastic change that I did during my college years. Throughout them, I look back and recognize that I’ve lived what I consider multiple, distinct versions of my life. Each version has contributed to making me the person I’ve become, and I know I’m nowhere near done experiencing these different lives. 

Whether it’s your academic studies, fashion choices, friendships, romantic relationships, desire to live at home or desire to move thousands of miles away, dream job, or something as simple as your taste in music or favorite food, do not be afraid to change. your. mind. I find it so important to engrain this in anyone’s head who’s willing to listen. Why exactly? Well, if you happen to be anything like the girl I was in high school and early on in college, you may not yet have challenged the thoughts and ideas that have been so comfortable to you growing up… and I’m here to challenge you. 

I moved across the country more than once during my childhood. Yes, living in these places and having such impactful experiences at a young age was exactly that: impactful. Yet it still took me eighteen+ years to open my mind to the world and my ability to evolve beyond my immediate surroundings. Looking back, I recognize that I fully adapted to WHERE I was, but I struggled to have any original thoughts without latching on to whatever the people closest to me believed in or told me I should do or think. I think I lacked a sense of personal direction to an extent without even knowing it. 

Maybe this happens to everyone and I’m just yet to read about it or hear someone express it in the same way. And maybe that’s because each of our lives withhold uniquely individualistic experiences. But maybe, my experience resonates with someone. And if it does, I encourage you to try to listen to that new music genre that none of your friends have heard of. I encourage you to try Mediterranean food even though your family always dogs on Greek-inspired dishes. I encourage you to start Google-searching greater education in other cities and states regardless of how comfortable you are in your area (if school is currently a future goal). I encourage you to try on the colorful sneakers in the store that you’ve wanted for months but haven’t bought because they’re the opposite style of what your friend group wears. I encourage you to distance yourself from feeding into bad-mouthing the shy guys who are involved in organizations you know nothing about. I encourage you to go to one of their organization meetings instead. I encourage you to compliment a stranger or befriend the barista even though your parents call you the introverted sibling. I encourage you to be curious for just a moment about how cool it MIGHT be to see a part of the world you know practically nothing about… go Google-search that place too while you’re at it.

These encouragements are by no means based on specific experiences pulled from my own life; though, they are all derived from my observations and varied outlooks on others’ lives, perhaps intertwined with my innermost thoughts. 

The point is that I think you have the potential to recognize that your dreams, likes, dislikes, desires, etc. extend far beyond where they may reach right now. That you can feel differently than you do now or think you do now. You can celebrate these changes and different “versions” of yourself. Though it might seem ominous and something to fear at first, it is up to YOU alone to unlock these pieces of yourself. If I could go back and realize this sooner, I certainly think I would try.

Ultimately, I hope this little run-on tidbit of storytime and encouragement leaves one thing with you: 

To be a verb, representative of movement and action, rather than a noun, representative of something stagnant, is a choice the world allows us to make and never takes away

Sincerely, 

SB