From a new barista at Starbucks who
doesn’t make the coffee quite as good as the last one, to a new time slot for your favorite show, to dealing with the loss of a close loved one, change can be extremely difficult to deal with. At the same time, change can be incredibly liberating and exciting, like quitting that job you hate, moving into a new apartment or cutting your hair. No matter how you feel about it, change is essential in life.
I’ve been growing out my hair for more than two years. At its longest point, it was about six inches from my tush, and I was always getting compliments about how long and pretty it was. Over spring break, I got the itch to chop it off and at the spur of the moment, I did. I was incredibly nervous as I sat in the salon chair, but as soon as I saw almost a foot of hair on the floor, I felt liberated. I felt light and happy, and I knew I had made the right decision.
But sometimes change can be a bit more difficult to deal with. Coming to Oregon from a small town in central Missouri was the biggest change in my life. Not only did the geographical features change, but I changed as well. I found out who I was by the way people reacted to me, and I found out what kind of person I really wanted to be. The change was fantastic but difficult as I left behind friends, family and the person I used to be. But I knew how important change was in life. Taking risks and forcing yourself to change your surroundings, situations and the path you’ve been on creates new opportunities you might never
have seen before.
The geographical change from Missouri to Oregon was tremendous. The first thing I noticed was that Oregon was so green and lush compared to Missouri, where the fields are lined with yellow wheat instead of pine trees. Missouri is also landlocked; there are no oceans anywhere nearby. In Oregon, with the mountains on one side and the coast on the other, the change
was astounding.
My life also changed after I transferred to the University from Southern Oregon University in Ashland following my freshman year. It was a culture shock, coming from a school where you saw the same people every day to becoming a simple face in the crowd. But the opportunities I have found at the University are incredible, and although the change was hard to deal with, it will ultimately be for the better.
Every spring brings changes for thousands of university students as they finish up their final classes and head out into the world of careers, salaries and real life. Sure, it sounds terribly frightening, but this is also the time for embarking on a new journey that can take you wherever you want to go. Change is what brings you to that point and change can be the best thing that has ever happened to you. You just have to let it happen and accept it
wholeheartedly.

[email protected]