As this semester comes to a close, I write my last article of my sophomore year.
I have a done a great deal of learning this year, in every way. It is fair to say that through writing my column and everything I have endured in the past year, I have developed, altered, and strengthen several “viewpoints”.
So, what better way to close my column for this academic year than to share some of my final and most important viewpoints of the year.
First, life is short. As many of you probably know (and if you don’t, I am about to tell you) my father passed away suddenly at the beginning of June.
I am sure many people have been waiting for or expecting me to write something about this but I find most of the time, it’s more than I could ever put into words.
Nonetheless, here is my attempt. My Dad wasn’t sick and he wasn’t suffering, he woke up completely healthy and normal the day he died, none of us were expecting what occurred that night.
Up until that night I, like many others, fell into the trap of thinking we had all the time in the world.
You picture your life and without a second thought you picture your family right there with you, at every stage and every step.
I am not saying that it is at all wrong to do that, envisioning the future is a beautiful thing, but I’ve learned the hard way that the things you think are a guarantee are in fact, not. It’s important to recognize that.
I’ve learned that every single day that I wake up, I already have a gifted denied to many.
Every time I hear the voice of my mom, or brother, or sisters on the other end of the phone line or get to hug them or even spend the smallest amount of time with them is important to me now. Those are moments I will never have with my Dad again.
I hope with my whole being that most women my age will have their parents around for a long time to come.
I hope that your fathers will walk you down the aisle, you will see your parents smiling faces in the audience when you graduate from college and they will be your first phone call when you get your dream job and that your mom and dad will meet your children.
But, I also hope that we learn to hug our parents a little tighter, skip a few nights at the bar and watch a movie with your dad, call them a few extra times during the week and argue with them as little as possible.
And most importantly, tell them you love them every chance you get. As Buddha once explained so profoundly, “The trouble is, we think we have time.”
The second viewpoint that has become quite important to me over the past year which also stems from my father’s passing (I find that most things do now) is best illustrated in a quote from the movie Country Strong “Don’t be afraid to fall in love. It’s the only thing that matters in life. The only thing. Fall in love with as many things as possible.”
Nothing could be more true. And I’m not just referring to the love you share with the guy you’ve been dating for a month.
I mean everything, love everything and everyone you can.
I try to make it a point to fall in love with as many things I can every day whether it be my family, my job, writing, my friends, nature, strangers I’ve just met, music or life itself.
I’ve experienced so much grief and pain recently but it has made the love so much more important.
As explained by Alexandra Elle “I’ve been hurt so bad and I still love so hard. I admire my heart for that.”
Love is the only thing that matters, the only thing.
To close, if these thoughts or anything I’ve written this year in my column has changed even one mind, influenced one life or simply made someone realize that there’s someone else out there thinking or feeling the same thing they are, I will consider this year of journalism a success.
I hope everyone has enjoyed reading my column as much as I have enjoyed sharing my life and ideas with all of you.
I will leave you with a simple thought from one of me and my father’s favorite movies, “Meatballs” …..are you ready for the summer?
Bridget Goedke
Viewpoints Editor
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