My life seems to abide by the principles of Murphy’s Law. In section 2, article 5 of the law, it says that all good things must happen to a person right before her experience is about to end. This subsection of Murphy’s Law is practically my life story.
When I was in high school, I went to the senior prom with a boy I’d known since sophomore year. And we had a blast. If I had known that in years prior, I would’ve bucked up and asked him out. But alas, I did not, and we dated for just three months before parting ways for college.
During my very last summer at sleep away camp at 15 years old, I met a girl who I perceived to be so cool, so far beyond my league of friendship, that we could never be buddies. I never even attempted to become her friend, but with two weeks left in the summer we were paired as co-counselors. Of course, we hit it off. We had great conversations, and only had a few weeks left to have them! I lamented the wasted time we could’ve spent laughing in the dining hall.
The law is an ever-present phenomenon, so when I left for college, the law followed.
I spent four, incredibly fulfilling years at Chapman, but it wasn’t until my last semester that I auditioned for a show with The Players’ Society. You already know what’s coming next. By the middle of rehearsals, the people around me felt like family. And I was just meeting them now?!
I also realized that my passion for singing and acting never went away, and it’s something that I could’ve been doing all along. Not to mention that I met another special someone, this relationship to be inconvenienced by my moving across the country post-grad.
With these tragically comical anecdotes in mind, I have to think that Murphy is trying to teach me something. I think that experiencing wonderful things right before something bigger is about to end serves as a reminder. It’s a reminder that no matter what big step or risk you’re about to take in life, you’ll always find a place where you fit, you’ll always find great people to hang out with, and you’ll always find things that make you happy. Most of life’s great experiences aren’t spur of the moment. They are cultivated over time, as many of my own best experiences have. But when those last fleeting-moment surprises come up, they are to be relished with as much energy as possible.
So if Murphy is trying to pack in the last few glorious punches as my college experience draws to a close, I say bring ‘em on.
