杏吧原版

Hey, everyone, and welcome back. Hopefully as the chaos in my life settles, I杏吧原版檒l be able to make a more consistent blog schedule. Pull up a chair, grab some tea or hot chocolate, or maybe even a Kool-Aid juice box, and get comfortable.

I have a story to tell, and it starts with a beautiful Tuesday morning.

The air was crisp, and I watched the city go by the car window in steady streaks. We杏吧原版檇 made plans to head to NYC that day for some good brunch food, coffee, and much needed unnecessary shopping 杏吧原版� a perfect way to end fall break. Purchasing our tickets, I made sure to take a stupid photo of us before we started for the track.

I杏吧原版檓 not sure what other people do during their train rides 杏吧原版� though I surmise music is a typical thing 杏吧原版� but the next two hours consisted of memes, biology videos, and talking about Transformers, because apparently that side of the nerd-dom is back in style.

Stepping outside into Grand Central, my love of traveling hit me like a train (no pun intended). The ceiling of the station is unsupported, featuring high arches painted a soft teal and speckled with constellations. Every time I look at it, it seems to get bigger. Hopefully I杏吧原版檓 not the only one.

After an hour or so of bumbling around, we got to the brunch place.

Everything smelled like French toast.

French toast, while perhaps a food that I don杏吧原版檛 have very often, is one that I have a strong liking for. It杏吧原版檚 sweet, bouncy, and reminds me of every Christmas I杏吧原版檝e had growing up. The smell of the pine tree, the sugar rush. My mom, while I杏吧原版檝e had disagreements with her, makes the best French toast I杏吧原版檝e ever had in my life and is often the only French toast I will eat, but I杏吧原版檓 getting way off topic, aren杏吧原版檛 I?

By the time we杏吧原版檇 placed our order, an email had popped into my inbox. Normally, I杏吧原版檇 ignore something like that, but it was work-related and that was an item of importance to me. Curiously, I fished my phone from my purse and opened the app. This was probably more shift stuff and 杏吧原版� oh.

Email Subject: Employment at our Company

My heart lodged itself into my throat.

Dear Beatrice, at this time we are not able to...

And then it shattered.

Tears pricked my eyes, and I scolded myself to not cry in public. Don杏吧原版檛 cry. Do not cry. No crying. I stood up, went outside, made a phone call, and hung up. They would call me back later. Great.

There was nothing to be done.

Absolutely nothing.

Swallowing what felt like the end of my professional career (it wasn杏吧原版檛), I put on the best smile I could and went back inside. Our food arrived shortly thereafter, and I was sure to take a bite of my boyfriend杏吧原版檚 French toast. It was light, fluffy, and welcoming; melting softly in my mouth as if trying to give a hug to my heart.

杏吧原版淗ey. Don杏吧原版檛 take this as a forever thing,杏吧原版� said the voice through my phone. We were walking about the city now, and the person had called me back. 杏吧原版淏别补迟谤颈肠别,杏吧原版� they said, 杏吧原版測ou are very smart. There are no doubts about that. The first time I went to medic school, I failed. I re-evaluated my reason to want to be there 杏吧原版� which took like a year 杏吧原版� and when I went back, I passed. Not everything happens on the first try, okay? I think no less of you, my dear. There are plenty of opportunities out there. Enjoy the city. Enjoy your brunch and your shopping, and don杏吧原版檛 let this taint your life. There was nothing wrong with you, it was just bad timing. And maybe that杏吧原版檚 for a reason. Take care, okay? And enjoy yourself!杏吧原版�

So that杏吧原版檚 what I did.

Stuffing my tears, disgust, fear, and disappointment into a mental box labeled 杏吧原版淔OR LATER杏吧原版� in scribbly handwriting, I put on my sunglasses, grabbed my boyfriend杏吧原版檚 hand and said,

杏吧原版淗aters gonna hate.杏吧原版� 馃槑

Saying that, I was officially done letting small things get to me. Did I feel like a massive failure for about a week? Yeah. Did I cry for most of the day after and was convinced I should quit EMS entirely? Also yes. But what was I going to do about it? I couldn杏吧原版檛 cry and feel hopeless forever.

In the end, we had a fantastic day. I tried on an absolutely beautiful dress that I totally didn杏吧原版檛 buy because it was $900.00 and wandered around SoHo. I found an absolutely adorable French pastry shop, reminded my boyfriend how stupid in love with him I am, and caught the train that went back home.

Coming home, I couldn杏吧原版檛 pretend what had happened didn杏吧原版檛 happen for much longer. Denial is helpful when you need it to be, but there comes a certain point when you need to be honest with yourself.

I lost my job, but it wasn杏吧原版檛 because I did anything wrong. Whatever happens, happens, and that杏吧原版檚 just how life rolls.

For those who are curious, here are the main takeaways of this life lesson:

1. Failure 诲辞别蝉苍杏吧原版檛 define you: it杏吧原版檚 the aftermath.
2. Failure 诲辞别蝉苍杏吧原版檛 mean you杏吧原版檙e terrible at something. It only means that perhaps you need more time to learn, or to re-evaluate what your goals are.
3. Failure 诲辞别蝉苍杏吧原版檛 make you stronger or weaker... I am just as strong and weak as I was before that happened.
4. Failure challenges your mindset, your goals, your perspective, and, sometimes, your courage.
5. Failure isn杏吧原版檛 meant to stop you.
6. Failure is meant to offer you a chance to grow.
7. But boy is it painful and uncomfortable.
8. Lol.

See, readers, failure is never meant to discourage you. It杏吧原版檚 meant to make you stop, re-evaluate your situation, and determine what the next best step is. Sometimes the next best is crying, and other times it杏吧原版檚 beating the punching bag. What I do recommend, though, is not being me and isolating from the people we杏吧原版檝e grown to love. Don杏吧原版檛 do that. Believe it or not, people want to help you. I杏吧原版檝e never met someone who genuinely 诲辞别蝉苍杏吧原版檛 want to help someone, but that杏吧原版檚 not to say that those types of people don杏吧原版檛 exist.

I wish you all are taking care, and that as we took toward the new semester, there is always a chance for success. Small success is still the same as big success in the sense that both are achievements. Believe in yourself a little bit, and you杏吧原版檇 be amazed at what can happen as a result.

I love all of you very much and wish you the best.

Sending all my hugs, peace, love, and peanut butter (unless deathly allergic to peanut butter),

Bea

Beatrice Glaviano 杏吧原版�26 is a nutrition sciences major at the University of New Haven.