August 24th, 2016
I had hoped to write quite frequently in this blog over the course of my first year. To be perfectly honest, I forgot it existed until about a couple days ago when it really started sinking in that in a couple days, I will be a second year. On Tuesday I was talking to a friend of mine who just recently graduated from the college, and she was thinking of advice that she could pass down to her primi without the mistake of being gravely cliché. Amidst brainstorming together, I got distracted and starting reflecting on this past year both being at the college, and spending my summer vacation back in Bermuda. My mind drifted towards the great moments, the not so great moments; the moments that somehow molded me into the girl sitting in Par la Ville park, writing whatever this is.
Today I accidentally left my laptop in a store, and only realized until after having coffee with my friend, and talking to one of the most beautiful and driven souls on this island, approximately 2 hours later. Although this detail about my laptop seems somewhat irrelevant, it got me thinking about distractions. We all get distracted from time to time. Things that distract me consist of every and anything that moves or breathes and has nothing to do with what I am actually supposed to be doing, hence the loss (and subsequent recovery) of my computer. It takes a lot for me to stay committed to things, and I find it extremely hard to pay attention even when things interest me; my mind always seems to be preoccupied on different thoughts, concerns, foods and everyday randomness.
But right now I am sitting in the park watching a father throw and catch her daughter in the air, and she has the biggest smile on her face, and I can’t help but get distracted by experiencing the little things that in some way or form, mold me into what will, in 3 days, be a girl entering her last year of high school. I see the smile on the little girls face, and I can’t help but feel the smile growing on mine. And I do not have grand plans to throw and catch my first years in the air, but I don’t think distractions are all that bad.
After my project week in Vienna this past year I realized that I had left my passport at school, and I was not able to travel with the rest of my group to Budapest for a long weekend trip. In that time I was alone, I learned a lot about myself. The first thing I learned is that deep breaths do actually help, a lot. The last thing I learned is that if you’re lucky enough to listen to your thoughts when you’re distracted from what you think is the real problem, there’s a very large chance you’ll experience a whole lot of beauty. When I roamed around Vienna and rode on the train back to school, I met people who were more than willing to help me find my way, I had a rare moment of being able to find clarity in my thoughts, and I listened to myself.
And I’m not saying you should stray away from your problems, and that distractions are the key to success, no. However, there is very often a much larger agenda in your life that you just may not be aware of. The things you may see as insignificant may have much more magnitude than you had imagined, as equally as the things that once consumed you, turning out to be so minuscule.
This is not an invitation or encouragement to put aside your essays and applications that have yet to be completed (or started), but some advice to internalize your distractions a little bit more; your mind is drifting for a reason, you should pay attention to that reason. I distracted myself quite a bit over this past year and I fell in love with a place that I will soon have to say goodbye to.
So please, try not to leave your laptop in a store, but if you ever find yourself caught in a great conversation, staring at the sky for what you think is a bit too long, know that these “distractions” are building that beautiful mind of yours. That mind that brought you to this beautiful place called Duino.
hanacath 