By Alba Galvan
As I go through life, it feels like I’m being shoved into a reality where time moves too fast to be spent waiting on others. I’ve learned to love the little things in life, the comfort of being alone and enjoying the process of learning new things about myself.
Lately, it feels like there is an unwritten rule that happiness matters most when it’s shared with other people, but that is far from the truth. Having friends and falling in love are beautiful parts of life that we as humans crave to experience, but an equally important part that is not talked about much is being able to enjoy life alone. It’s okay to try new things alone, why hold yourself back waiting for someone?
I chose to value my time alone in my early 20s, not in a lonely way, rather I choose to find joy in taking myself to Sequoia Park Zoo, walking on the sand at Clam Beach or looking at the stars on a cool, clear night. You should be able to do things alone and find joy in them. I like to remember an old saying,“At the end of the day, you only have yourself.”
In prioritizing making plans with others, have you ever missed out on an experience because you were waiting on someone else?
Our early 20s should be used as a time to find out what kind of people we want to be. What we want to learn, do and experience, not to feel the fear of time running out before you even had the chance to do what you wanted to do.
“I decided instead of running away from the idea of a life alone,” Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City said. “I’d better sit down and take that fear to lunch.”
Alba is a reporter and opinion editor for the Lumberjack. She enjoys listening to people’s opinions with an open mind. You can reach her at agg83@humboldt.edu.