By Katy Mae Turner | Photographer
This week, I bought a ticket to one of my favorite musician’s concerts that I’ve been dying to go to — in a city I don’t even live in yet, all by myself. If you had told me a year ago I’d be doing this, I would be crippled with guilt and anxiety.
That much money on a concert ticket? Without anyone I know? Yes! Experiencing something that will create meaningful memories should be celebrated more often.
Sure, there are better ways to spend your money and time. Putting money towards more practical, regular expenses and saving up is important, but you can find a harmonious balance of work and play. When I’m old and looking back on my life, I want to know that I put every opportunity and moment to good use.
I came to college in August 2020, which made making social relationships really hard. The summer before I began classes, I received an email from an organization recruiting members. The only people I knew were my roommates, and while it had never really interested me much before, I decided to join simply because I had no friends. Doing so opened a huge door to meeting amazing friends from all sorts of backgrounds and learning a lot about my own personal and career interests.
Learning to do things with squirrels and stary icicles are a fantastic scene. I love all of my friends, and understand that we’re all busy. Adventuring with them is great, but learning to be alone with yourself is a big life skill that only comes with time. Solo traveling opens up a great window for self reflection and growth not just in your relationships with others, but with yourself.
There is so much pressure put on us to have our entire lives figured out and stick to a plan, but sometimes plans are forced to change. Having faith is essential to taking risks.
Perfection doesn’t exist, and everything happens for a reason. I’m confident in saying that I have learned more throughout life from my mistakes than from my successes. Sometimes last minute, scary changes that are embraced to the fullest can result in lessons and memories you will hold onto for a lifetime.
This doesn’t mean to not take joy in the expected moments of life. With very few days left in my life at Baylor and in Texas, I’ve begun to look forward to the mundane parts of my day — my professors and classmates I see daily, running into unexpected friends in line at Starbucks, or sitting with my roommates watching TV and doing homework.
Yesterday will never happen again, and tomorrow is not a promise. A life full of adventure, happiness and friendship is a priceless investment you won’t regret.
