I went on a big tour my spring break in senior year of high school to finalize on a college to attend. I found one I loved but coming home and making that final decision was hard.
The school was amazing but also overwhelming. Everyone seemed so much more sophisticated, more wealthy, and more together than my small town 17 year old self. I was terrified that I wouldn’t belong and not make any friends. I shared that thought with my cousin who is 12 years older than me.
She told me that all that mattered was that I liked the school because I would find my people. Her exact words were probably more in line with I will find friends but “my people” is so much more than friends.
And she was right – I did find my people in that college including my husband and some of my best friends.
I have felt similar fears in other transitions – moving to Boston, changing jobs, moving to the suburbs, and joining various programs. There is always this feeling – like a little meerkat that is on its hind legs peering around looking for the “people who are like me!”
And I am always reminded, they are there. Perhaps they have always been there and they are what make the choice “feel” like the right one or perhaps they appear because I made that choice. I’ll likely never know but I am rest assured that I will always find “my people” wherever I go.
Leave a Reply