"For all the pain in the world, there is so much more beauty."
-Frances Ann Fortner, 2018
This post was supposed to be written and published a few months ago...before all this stuff happened. So please enjoy my past and present thoughts.
Complaining is so natural (to me at least). I will complain about something long before I attempt to remedy the problem. Throughout the second semester of my junior year...all I could do was complain about my major. I didn't enjoy my classes. I was always (and still...to some extent) stressed out. I felt that I had very little time to pursue my other interests. I wasn't able to spend much time with my friends. Long story short, I came to resent my current major (Fashion Design). It did not help that I had a few people tell me (in my junior year of college, mind you) that I should have been a Communications Major. I found myself in a mini quarter-life crisis. THEN CORONAVIRUS HIT.
~what a start to 2020~ woohoo!
I struck out...a burnout...which only increased my tendency to complain. The constant complaints caused more problems than they solved. However, Mid-February I came to the realization that I need to stop complaining.
How?
I realized that there are many things about fashion design that I still love
Second-semester junior year was supposed to be ridiculously challenging
Some people would do anything to be where I am now.
I have an important job to do...become a designer
I also heard Benjamin Clementine's song "I Won't Complain". (Thanks Jackie!)
Life and school get hard...and it SUCKS...hard times are NOT supposed to be fun. The hard times make you strong. Those moments make you appreciate the easy times and prep you for the more difficult times ahead. All I had to do to stop my incessant complaining was to count my blessings and power through.
~to relate this to the current situation, I offer these sentiments~
We have MANY things to complain about. No school, no friends, no beauty appointments, no consideration for others, no summer plans, and no large in-person events. I REALLY MISS all of my friends in America and across the world (I'm waving at you Florence and Tokyo). I wish I could have had a magical, wonderful summer in the city. I am beyond disappointed that my 21st birthday rager will not be happening. I hate the fact that acts of violence and hatred have flooded social media feeds.
We can complain. It will not help. Change your mindset and take action. There is so much we can be grateful for! Our health, Zoom, and freedom of speech. If you are able, consider helping others by donating your time or money. Spread love, positivity, and awareness. Things are so different from the way they were a few months ago. Don't complain make a change. Times are hard but, we will overcome. Look for the beauty in your life. Good still exists. Get creative. Believe in your dreams...because (overall) it's a wonderful life.
So I won't complain,
Natalie D.