Patience is indeed a virtue and one that requires having faith and belief. For those of us who have become so accustomed to having everything instantaneously, that extra 'wait' time seems like an eternity. There is the old saying nothing lasts forever however, if you are as impatient as I, life feels like it will take forever to even happen!
About six years ago, I was a senior in high school and had been sending out college applications. I found the perfect school that offered my program and was within my budget. I was elated, I felt like I struck gold. Not only did I find a school in the city I wanted to study in, but it was also affordable and found the exact program that suited my career ambitions. I vividly remember the excitement I felt as I filled out the paper based application. After mailing it out, I waited for months for a response. As I was a foreign student I anticipated a longer than usual wait time for a confirmation. When a few months passed by and I realized that I had not received an email notifying me that my application was received, I became worried. I called the registrar's office several times only to find out that my records could not be located in their database. After 4 months of worry,trepidation and disappointment I eventually gave up.
Surprisingly, I received an e-mail from one of the five schools informing me of my acceptance. While that was the least favorite of the schools I had applied to, I still felt a sense of relief as I had become very despondent. I figured that my application was lost and that my chances of ever going to studying in that city were all gone. While I ended up moving to another state I knew nothing about, and was reluctant to study at, the experience taught me the invaluable lesson of patience and how important this virtue is.
I waited for a year before reapplying one last time. The second time around I did not include my 'dream' college as I later realized that the program being offered was not something that I liked after all. I was extremely grateful to have the opportunity of attending the college that I first attended as it helped me to appreciate everything that I have now. I dealt with many trials and tribulations during my first year of college however, I would never be where I am today had it not been for me attending school there.
This past week I drove past my 'dream' school as I had never visited it before except for the virtual tour on the school's website. The place I once thought would be the college I would spend my undergrad years studying did not appeal to me anymore. It was in an area that appeared to be unsafe at night and was an extremely far commute. As I marveled at its historic architecture, I thought to myself never would I have imagined that I would be happier at the college I am at now. This college that I knew nothing about became my haven. I was able to complete my undergraduate studies and return to further my graduate studies. Some odd six years passed since I sent out that application, but after six years I realized that everything happens for a reason. Mine was that I would have to wait to discover that my true happiness lied elsewhere. This would not have been realized in the time frame I was expecting at all.
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