Life is hard. Sometimes you get knocked down, and you have to get back up. But sometimes getting up is not as easy as it should be.
I’ve spent a lot of time these past two years trying to figure out how to get back up, how to turn these figurative punches into something useful, something motivational. Yet it seemed like each time I got up, there was something else waiting to push me down. It’s even harder to get up when all you can think about are the bruises and how they remind you of everything you did wrong.
But I got back up. It may have taken some time, and some ice cream, and some tears, but it happened. And I’m starting to think that sometimes we need to be punched (once again, figuratively….), because we often get so caught up in our own plans for ourselves that we forget that maybe they’re not meant to be.
In January, I interviewed for an internship with a local magazine. It’s widely known for being one of the best writing internships in town (and one of the only paid ones), and I was honestly honored to even be interviewing with them. Later that day I received an email from the editor saying that they’d enjoyed interviewing me, but didn’t know if they’d be able to work with my busy schedule. Then she offered me a summer internship, even though I’d explained that I’d be studying abroad. I was ecstatic.
I sent a follow up email at the beginning of April, asking when she wanted me to start, and the response was a huge let down – “Thanks for checking in. Unfortunately, we have already filled the position with another intern.”
I couldn’t figure out what I’d done wrong, and more importantly, why I wasn’t even deserving of an email to let me know that I should change my summer plans. I moped for a long time. And though I can’t pretend to know why that internship wasn’t meant for me, I’ve gotten back up, and I’m trying to make the most of it.
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