Whether or not we want to admit it, we all have a certain image in our heads that details the rest of our lives. From the smallest moments in life, like our first day in high school or some of the biggest moments like traveling to a brand-new state to start a new life in college, we have some high expectations. We want our lives to be filled with the best, most fulfilling moments we can have and if we had complete control over our lives, that would always be possible. Unfortunately, that just isn’t the case. No matte how hard we try control life, we just can’t. This year especially has taught me that.

This year has been a whirlwind of chaos and unforeseen events, leading to a lot of stress for many of us. For me, I know that the last few days before being sent home for spring break we’re unbelievably stressful. My mind was filled with questions that no one had answers to at the time. Were we coming back after break? How long will we be gone? What’s going to happen to my job? But, as everything began to unravel, I realized that I had absolutely no control over the outcomes of this event. There are certain things in life that I could control but this just wasn’t one of them. Rather than being caught in the current and carried away by my own stress and negative emotions, I decided to just embrace the change. Change can be a scary thing but, in this case, change was the only option left.

I kind of realized that maybe this way of thinking could be applied to the rest of my life too, for instance, online classes. I was going to have to adapt to those in an unforeseen way and although it was scary, I knew that there weren’t many other choices. Big changes in life can be unnerving but learning how to adapt and grow from those changes can be helpful overall. If such a big event like this can occur so quickly, I can only imaging what else will happen in the rest of my lifetime. With so many unforeseen events sure to come, I’ve realized how important it is to live in the moment and be prepared to adapt in the future.