in which goodbyes are about transitions

I started my blogging year writing about a conversation I had with a little girl about “’paradise”, and how a word could mean many different things to different people.

The winter version: Steeped tea and strudel

My final year of Undergrad is coming to an end. And this year, “U of T” for me was about goodbyes. Five years on campus means habits I’ve developed, relationships I’ve built, couches I’ve become attached to, and routines I’m comfortable in. It is hard to envision that come September there will be no agonizing over conflicting classes, calculating textbook budgets and walking into wrong classrooms on the first day. Saying goodbye to campus has been an intentional part of my year, and I’ve taken time to savour places, spend time with people and indulge in favourite foods. “U of T” is also slowly shifting from being my present, to becoming my past. When you think about it really, goodbyes really are just about transitions. They are doorposts to new spaces, new seasons and new goals. This is the time of the year when we say goodbye to winter, and hopefully welcome spring. we say goodbye to courses, professors and classmates, and hello to the exam grind. we say goodbye to university and prepare to go to larger work environments.   There are three essential habits I practice in times of transition: 1. I give myself options When the season starts to change, it becomes important to pick clothing that accommodates the fluctuating weather. Wearing layers I can remove or add is a good way of providing myself with many choices that can be combined in different ways to meet any curveball the weather might throw at me. The same philosophy applies to studying for exams or looking for jobs. Divide your daily studying schedule into sections with different options for the day. This makes it easier to adjust to potential time you might lose to unforeseen circumstances, or even just give you room for those poor, unproductive study days. Expand your criteria when looking for jobs and experiment with different times, environments and expectations. I’ve been looking for evening jobs for next year, and it’s surprising how future plans change when jobs don’t span the typical 9AM-5PM time slot. 2.  I listen to good music

Need I say more? Music will be with us for most of the study season. It will energize us when we are tired, isolate us when we need focus, and empathize with us in the wee hours of dawn before a final. Meet musician Mandy, who herself is in a time of transition. Her personal EP is in the works. 🙂 Check out her free downloads on Facebook Her stuff is my current study playlist. : ) 3. I surround myself with good company Keep your relationships close. They will become your rock in times of trouble. But even more than that, they also will live completely different experiences, and can offer you a completely different perspective on the future. I have friends who are taking time off next year to travel, moving to another country to work, starting entry-level jobs, or are continuing with Education. For the last five years, U of T has been a space for other lives to intersect with mine, stories that have built little bridges of relationships, and long hours of conversation.

It is time to move on, but I am not going alone, and that makes all the difference.