Every day a learning experience

June 25, 2007 —

Each day we add 24 hours to our life. We do things we may not have thought possible. We go places we couldn't have imagined. We meet people we didn't know existed.

As college students, we are growing both physically and mentally. In the last year, I have learned that who we meet in our lives determines how we will grow.

I took a class this spring that I was dreading. I left the class having learned new information, but also with lesson about life.

I will never forget the people I met. My classmates were from all walks of life: some formerly incarcerated, and others fresh out of high school, trying to figure out the meaning of independence.

I told a friend about my classmates and how I felt as though they were a very diverse group of people. There was something special about this class, but I just couldn't quite figure out what. My friend made a statement that made me really think about life - we learn something valuable from every person we meet. The more I pondered this statement the more it made sense.

I grew up in a small town, in which most of the residents were relatively close in social status, economic status and race. I did not have the chance to become exposed to people different from myself. I am now finding this upbringing to be positive, as I am interested in learning about the lives of others and finding ways to take a lesson away from each experience.

In college, we are still learning. We are struggling with the fact of growing up while trying to stay young. Some of us are dealing with the distance we have with our families, while others are thinking moving out can't come soon enough.

Within all of these things, it is expected we know what we want to do with our lives, and know what our future holds. We are striving to complete our puzzle of life, and each person we come in contact with becomes another piece of that puzzle.

Whether our experiences are good or bad, they continue to shape the person we will become.

It comes down to the little things. Think about this for a moment. Do you get defensive when presented with an argument you've never heard before? And, if someone never challenged your views, would you continue on thinking you were always right? Probably.

I am learning to see every situation as a learning experience. All of those times I thought I was being torn down and picked on, I was actually being taught a small lesson. This lesson however, usually isn't learned until later on in life.

As I continue my schooling, I am beginning to live by the motto "everything happens for a reason." Remembering to take each day as it comes is hard enough, but understanding why some people act the way they do is the tricky part.

Just remember, in every person is a missing piece of your puzzle. The question is, will you allow those different from yourself to help complete the puzzle?