Finding Comfort in the Future

In the spring of 8th grade, I suffered through any middle schooler’s worst nightmare--a fight with my best friends. I’m sure if I could remember what this fight was about now, I would find it extremely trivial. But at the time, my world was imploding.

​So that afternoon, I did what any distressed 13-year-old would do. I ran off the school bus, threw my backpack down on the kitchen table, made a beeline for the desktop computer, and started looking up college campuses.

Wait...that’s not what a normal 13-year-old whose world was seemingly crumbling at their feet would do? Weird.

I wonder if my sarcasm comes across through writing...​

No, I was not being an extreme overachiever and trying to plan the course of my life at age 13 before I had even stepped into a high school or heard the word “SAT”, I was attempting to comfort myself.

For as long as I can remember, dreaming of my future and what would hold has been therapeutic to me. Anytime that my current life is overwhelming, I can mentally fast forward a few years and picture how perfect everything will be then.

It is like playing pretend, but with your own life. You are the star and the world is your playground. Who knows, maybe in 5 years from now, you will be living in a penthouse in NYC overlooking Central Park, in Silicon Valley running the newest mega-successful start-up, or just at your quaint home in the suburbs with your loving family.

I have always known this method to be somewhat of a fantasy. I’m positive that my college years are not as care-free as my 13-year-old self pictured. But romanticizing my future and all of its possibilities, no matter how far-fetched, has helped me overcome some of my life’s toughest moments.

I constantly struggle with relating to people who have a nearsighted view of life. How can you not realize the insignificance of your immediate problems in the grand scheme of this vastly beautiful life?

Next time you are having a day that seems impenetrable, try it. Picture the amazing career you may secure, the inspiring travels you may embark on, or the perfect house you may someday live in. No matter how dismal life may seem at this moment, remember that there is always something beautiful awaiting you on the horizon.