2008 Woodie Awards
Senior Column:
"Joy in the Journey"
Carrie Ann Burnap
Issue date: 3/1/05 Section: Campus Life
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WANTED: stay at home dad, one who enjoys cleaning, who is loving toward children and would be willing to bring me breakfast in bed. WANTED: stay at home mom, one who looks good when she's cleaning, can keep the children quiet when the football game is on and will always have beer in the fridge. You might be thinking: "What does any of this have to do with me?" But, let's be honest, as our time at Assumption is quickly coming to an end, we are all nervous about the future. Not only are we scared about getting jobs, but we also have a lot of anxiety about having families. It's an unspoken problem: How are we going to do it all?
We are now THE generation that is ready to be turned over to the "real world". Our days of staying up until three in the morning to finish a paper that is due at ten the next day have come to an end. What about our days of staying up late with friends chatting about life and trying to find our place in it? Are these days over as well? I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly ready to let go of my Assumption family. The group of people that I have surrounded myself with at AC has not only helped me figure out who I am, but they have also picked me up during hard times. I am attached. I am not ready to let go. How can I go into the real world without them? The truth is I know I can go on because these friendships will last in my heart forever. I have found strength and I have found myself in their help and understanding. They have prepared me to move forward, and I hope I have given them that strength as well.
So if I know that I am ready for what comes next, why I am still so nervous? I am nervous because I want to have it all. I want to be a female who uses her education, as well as a woman who has her own children some day. How can I have all of this, the house, the family, the dog, the Volvo? I mean, I am talking about the American dream that we have all grown up thinking we deserve. You know what; you do deserve it if you're willing to work for it. I have listened to my friends and I know some of them have great plans on how they are going to make their money. What I have not heard from my friends is their plan on finding happiness. In a time when the world around us is all about money, I worry that many of my friends will become consumed with this notion that money brings happiness. The best way to find happiness is by letting happiness experience you. There is no plan that can bring you happiness, you must live and be open to the moments that bring you joy. Yes, I am scared about the future because I worry that I might also get caught up in the madness of money and miss the small moments of grace. Our generation should be worried, but we need to learn how to use that worry to our advantage.
We are now THE generation that is ready to be turned over to the "real world". Our days of staying up until three in the morning to finish a paper that is due at ten the next day have come to an end. What about our days of staying up late with friends chatting about life and trying to find our place in it? Are these days over as well? I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly ready to let go of my Assumption family. The group of people that I have surrounded myself with at AC has not only helped me figure out who I am, but they have also picked me up during hard times. I am attached. I am not ready to let go. How can I go into the real world without them? The truth is I know I can go on because these friendships will last in my heart forever. I have found strength and I have found myself in their help and understanding. They have prepared me to move forward, and I hope I have given them that strength as well.
So if I know that I am ready for what comes next, why I am still so nervous? I am nervous because I want to have it all. I want to be a female who uses her education, as well as a woman who has her own children some day. How can I have all of this, the house, the family, the dog, the Volvo? I mean, I am talking about the American dream that we have all grown up thinking we deserve. You know what; you do deserve it if you're willing to work for it. I have listened to my friends and I know some of them have great plans on how they are going to make their money. What I have not heard from my friends is their plan on finding happiness. In a time when the world around us is all about money, I worry that many of my friends will become consumed with this notion that money brings happiness. The best way to find happiness is by letting happiness experience you. There is no plan that can bring you happiness, you must live and be open to the moments that bring you joy. Yes, I am scared about the future because I worry that I might also get caught up in the madness of money and miss the small moments of grace. Our generation should be worried, but we need to learn how to use that worry to our advantage.