Vocation

A friend of mine told me that I needed to spend less time focusing on my future and to enjoy senior year.

College goes by quickly. Endless papers, social functions, catching up on sleep, people to meet, employers and recruiters to call. It all adds up and soon Nickerson Field will be covered with people in their gowns waiting to receive their degrees they have worked so hard to get. While I have enjoyed school and the City of Boston I cannot help but wonder what is next after I receive my degree from this wonderful school. As I have laid out the different plans I have in my head I realize that senior year is ticking and its ticking nonstop, 24/7, and its not gonna wait for me to hop on before it leaves the station. This past week I was catching up with a friend and mid conversation they told me to stop worrying about the next chapter. I think most college students are programmed to always plan for the next step so hearing this left me a bit confused. Then they went on to explain that my constant talk of tomorrow and next year and 5 years down the road was getting a bit endless and uncertain. While I plan on being around in the future, that is not the point of the now. They told me its more important to worry about the present and focus on today’s goals rather than planning the future and letting the day slip away. I have a lot I want to do this year. I realize after being stopped for a moment that there is a lot that needs to be done in the present before I worry about the future. President Eisenhower said that “plans are worthless but planning is everything” and this resonates with my temperament because I like to be prepared but there is no predicting the future and its circumstances. Another quote that sticks with me as the clock ticks on is ” don’t count the days, make the days count”. Muhammad Ali said that way before my time but he has a point. How can I make my days count here? What is the best way to spend my time? I sat in my apartment yesterday afternoon and watched a fleet of rowers, tour boats, and yachts coast along in the Charles River and all I did was sit there and watch. Our campus is always on the move and people have places to be but to take a step back and watch made me observe the amount of activity going on and where everyone else’s time was going. When you don’t stop and look around, time can go right by, but as I sat yesterday and just watched I thought about the seasons changing, my family, and all the other topics in my head. God can speak to us in any way He choses, but I like to think of my still moments as God moments, where He enters the room and is present with us and our thoughts. I want to share in these moments every day if possible. I encourage others to do the same. Taking the time in the morning or evening to enjoy coffee or tea or maybe the fresh air and just watch the boats or cars along the Charles and be present and still. I think that running around and being constantly being busy is one way to find answers to the famous “what am I going to do after college” question but I believe that being still and listening is a better guide than the constant hum of busy lives. Taking time this week to enjoy the shift to fall and being aware of God’s  presence helps to prepare for another busy semester.