Time for Reflection

There gets to be a time for college students when you feel like every one of your classes is racing by at a hundred miles an hour, and you still haven’t left the parking lot.  It has been less than a month into school, and I have already begun to have similar feelings toward school.  Many of my classes move by at an extremely fast pace, and I often find myself struggling to keep up.  It is times like these that I am forced to plan out a homework and study schedule, just so that I can get my assignments completed on time.  When I make these tight schedules, I am regretfully forced to leave out time for myself, and often time for God.

The retreat this past weekend forced me to set aside all my burdens of school and really take some time for myself.  I was able to calm my mind and really reflect on my life.  I thought about why I am even in college and what I hoped to get out of it.  I was also able to see how worrying about all of my assignments and midterms and deadlines actually distracts me from my relationships with friends, family, and God.  Although it is important to keep these things in mind, our whole lives should not be devoted to tests and busy work.  We should be focusing on our relationships, and not worrying so much about the future.  Sometimes things happen that are out of our control, but it is up to us how we respond to them.

This retreat really helped me to put my life into perspective, because I was able to momentarily set aside the things that put a veil over the important aspects of life.  Though I am still not sure where I am headed for the rest of my years in college, I can rest assured that everything will be all right.  I need to worry less about what is beyond my control, and focus on how I can improve what is within my control.  My relationships with God, my friends, and family are all things that I can improve, and I will do my best to make sure that I keep them at the forefront of my life.

Joe Carlson