Bookmarked by Ann Camacho

Author:Ann Camacho
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: non fiction books for teens, character education
Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing
Published: 2012-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

Desirée attends the University of California, Berkeley. She is majoring in integrative biology with a focus in paleontology. She grew up in Riverside, California, with her parents and her six siblings, and loves spending time with her family. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, and playing volleyball.

The Time of Your Life

by Jaclyn Allavie

I will be the first to admit: I don’t have it all figured out. I am far from wise and my life is anything but scripted. Describing to others the “meaning of life” when I have yet to figure out my own existence is a little complicated. My grand entrance into a, shall we say, less-than-booming economy, has been anything but a smooth transition. However, there are a few things I know. I know that my worth is not determined by my immediate post-graduation fate. I know that I am in a place of complete spontaneity, capable of doing just about anything I set my mind to with no need for urgency. And I am starting to learn that this world is for living, not worrying. Each and every day, I am learning to love myself for the individual I am becoming, but this path has not always been easy for me.

I recently graduated from college with my bachelor’s degree—in three years. Where did the time go and why my ever-present race against the clock? In my effort to get to the next step in life, I sometimes forget the most important part of the equation: the experience. Often, I am reminded of a line from The Phantom Tollbooth, a favorite childhood book I read years ago. In it, Norton Juster wrote, “Time is a gift, given to you, given to give you the time you need, the time you need to have the time of your life.” Today this means to me that life does not start tomorrow, or after my master’s degree, but right now.

Upon reflection, having what I have deemed my “gap year” from schooling has been a blessing in disguise. I have had the opportunity to stop my frenetic race to the next achievement, to truly reflect on my passions and interests. The thing is, life often tumbles out in an amalgamation of odds and ends, not anything like I had been planning. And let me tell you, I am a planner! I was born to write to-do lists, categorize my closet, and calendar every last detail of my life. But as I get older, I am learning the difference between focusing attention on an important task at hand and obsessing over a problem. I have to remind myself, sometimes daily, to stop, take a deep breath, and unwind.

I do not say this lightly: I have mastered the art of worrying. I am constantly worried about the next hoop to jump through, whether it’s grad school, finding a good job, or developing my personal relationships. Decisions are not the only facet of my life where I crave perfection; my quest for the ideal body image still lingers as well.

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