The Art of Letting Go
I'm sure we've all done things we aren't proud of; things we regret and wish we did differently. Thanks to the creation of social media, sadly we must be reminded of these mistakes that will haunt us for a long time.
As a sophomore in college, the person I was in High School is completely different than the person I am today. Obviously as time goes on we grow older, wiser (or so they tell us) and eventually become mature adults. But sometimes it's hard to understand where the line is between the 20-something, twerking, partying, and fake ID clubbing person we are, versus the professional college student we strive to be.
If you ask any one of my high school friends who they think I am today, they would assume that I'd be causing trouble, running around wild, breaking into concerts to meet celebrities, or becoming internet famous. Clearly, the person I was in high school is who I used to be. The past is the past, and I am not going to be defined by the girl I was when I was 17.
If you ask any one of my college professors, they would tell you that I'm the goofy girl in class because I use 7 different pens to write notes with, I'm the girl who is enrolled in 21 credits and auditing classes just to learn for fun, or they'd tell you that I'm that girl who is in charge of various clubs on campus who loves to tour guide, but sings way too much Ariana Grande in the music hall's practice rooms.
Scrolling through Facebook and judging one another on the person we used to be in high school is destructive. Friends lose touch, life gets crazy, and everything changes. That girl who made out with your boyfriend behind your back at the 2010 home game is now on track to be a Chem major. That boy who lead you on during senior year is now Pre-Med and president of Kappa Sigma. What I'm trying to explain is that we need to move past the judgment we hold of those we went to high school with, and embrace the new person they have become since then. We have all grown regardless of the mistakes we have made in high school or college. We should look highly upon each other and forgive and forget rather than remembering the worst times and the pathetic drama. It has been 2 years since I graduated high school, and I'm tired of running into people from my class at the Burke Chipotle who pretend to not know I exist so they can eat their burrito in peace.
For all of those I have wronged in high school or college, I apologize. I may not have won the dundie for #1 bff, but to this day I am bettering myself to be the best person I can possibly be. I am grateful for my friends who love me, my professors who care, and for the future that will embrace my ever-growing embarrassing mistakes. It is how we grow from past mistakes that prove our good character and soul.
-Elaina Finkelstein
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