In Sandra Bullock’s romantic comedy “While You Were Sleeping,” Bullock’s character, Lucy, relays a valuable piece of advice she heard from her dad: “Life doesn’t always turn out the way you plan.” That statement has resurfaced in my head several times this year.
Over the Christmas holidays, three of us at The Reflector got engaged. This semester the newsroom has been blanketed with bridal magazines and discussions about calla lilies, red bridesmaids’ dresses and lakeside weddings. It’s a wonder how we still manage to get our work done. While obsessing over wedding plans can be fun, it is something I never thought I would be doing at 20 years old.
I am one of those people who needs to know everything that will take place in the future. Like a lot of people, I have made several attempts to map out the rest of my life. It is a matter of security. I feel secure when I know something is going to happen, even if it’s something bad. I have been known to carry a big fear of the unknown.
Often this school year, I have found myself recounting the events that have led me to the point in my life at which I am now.
I never thought I would even be at Mississippi State, for one thing. My family bleeds maroon and white. In my family, everyone and his mother came to State, so I was determined to be different. Good thing I wasn’t. Going to State ended up being the best thing that could have happened to me. I made so many friends my first year here and grew tremendously as a person. Sometimes a place we thought we would never go ends up being the exact place we need to be.
Being in Starkville allows for meeting unexpected people. Last semester I met my fiance, someone I had met as a toddler but was separated from when my dad got a new job. I was actually too young to remember, but it makes for a cool story.
That was another thing I didn’t see coming. I was in no way looking for a relationship at this point in my life. I knew the time for marriage would come one day, but I gained comfort in the thought that that day wouldn’t come for a while. I should have known better. Not only did it come, but it came quickly. That is something I definitely wasn’t expecting, but as it turns out, I couldn’t be happier.
Living conditions can also change in a moment’s notice. When I came back to State after the summer I was planning on living with my roommate from last year. It didn’t work out-another surprise-and it was really hard to deal with at first. I still miss our late-night talks, but being apart has enabled both of us to find our own identities.
No matter how much I have tried to plan my life, unexpected events present themselves anyway. At the time, it may seem like an awful thing to adjust to, but looking back, I realize those events had to take place for me to get where I am today. Even the bad things that happened were opportunities for me to learn something, and because of them I take less for granted.
I would not be me if it weren’t for all the unexpected twists in my story. And if I had the chance to go back and edit or rewrite a chapter, I probably wouldn’t change anything.
“Life doesn’t always turn out the way you plan,” but things always have a way of working themselves out.
Courtney Hall is a sophomore communication major. She can be reached at [email protected].