Today I want to ask you all a question. How did you get where you are today? What turning point or significant moment in your life brought you to the career, job, town, house, or people you spend every day with?
This kind of post is called a snapshot autobiography. There is also a type of writing called a flash autobiography that I've experimented with, and will be posting tomorrow. A snapshot autobiography is, as you might've guessed, the telling of a moment in your life. Nestled somewhere in between two memories, you are writing to provide just a snapshot. A flash autobiography does the same thing, but has a word or character limit.
My snapshot autobiography is the story of how I came to my university, a place that has grown to define so much of my life.
I remember my high school graduation like it was yesterday. My high school, thankfully not entirely defined by clicks, was suddenly overflowing with students embracing and laughing and tossing beach balls like there was no tomorrow. Suddenly, life was colored by our black and white gowns, and possibility was around every corner.
And then it was tomorrow.
I worked for the summer after high school as a full time nanny, and made plenty of money so I was contemplating taking a a year off before going to college. I didn't know what I wanted to go for, either. Earlier in the school year, I had gotten my acceptance letter to my school, and received checks back in the mail for application fees for two others. The schools had told me I applied too late, so I only got into one state school that I knew nothing about. I hadn't taken a tour or anything. I just listened to my guidance counselor and filled out the applications.
About a month before I was due to head off to school, I decided I really did want to take time off. I told my parents, and a few days later they gave me an ultimatum: go to school or find an apartment. I don't know what would have happened if I had tried to get a place of my own, but I certainly don't regret choosing college now.
I did regret it for the first 6 months, however. I wanted to be home. I hated my roommate, and I wasn't finding my niche. Then one day, I came across a card game in the lobby of my dorm. Just about anyone who knows me, knows I have a weak spot for a good card player. I sat down, made friends, and launched part two of my college career.
I've stumbled a few times since then, of course. But I also like to think about the fact that my parents and my love of cards solidified this path in my life. It's crazy that these two unrelated forces helped me make, quite possibly, the first turning point of my life. And if you go back and read my first post, just over a week ago now - you'll see that I had another monumental moment in my life while reading a book about being undecided.
So that's why I ask - how did you get where you are today? What fates overlapped in a snapshot to get you in this position? And do you regret anything?
Until tomorrow.
This kind of post is called a snapshot autobiography. There is also a type of writing called a flash autobiography that I've experimented with, and will be posting tomorrow. A snapshot autobiography is, as you might've guessed, the telling of a moment in your life. Nestled somewhere in between two memories, you are writing to provide just a snapshot. A flash autobiography does the same thing, but has a word or character limit.
My snapshot autobiography is the story of how I came to my university, a place that has grown to define so much of my life.
I remember my high school graduation like it was yesterday. My high school, thankfully not entirely defined by clicks, was suddenly overflowing with students embracing and laughing and tossing beach balls like there was no tomorrow. Suddenly, life was colored by our black and white gowns, and possibility was around every corner.
And then it was tomorrow.
I worked for the summer after high school as a full time nanny, and made plenty of money so I was contemplating taking a a year off before going to college. I didn't know what I wanted to go for, either. Earlier in the school year, I had gotten my acceptance letter to my school, and received checks back in the mail for application fees for two others. The schools had told me I applied too late, so I only got into one state school that I knew nothing about. I hadn't taken a tour or anything. I just listened to my guidance counselor and filled out the applications.
About a month before I was due to head off to school, I decided I really did want to take time off. I told my parents, and a few days later they gave me an ultimatum: go to school or find an apartment. I don't know what would have happened if I had tried to get a place of my own, but I certainly don't regret choosing college now.
I did regret it for the first 6 months, however. I wanted to be home. I hated my roommate, and I wasn't finding my niche. Then one day, I came across a card game in the lobby of my dorm. Just about anyone who knows me, knows I have a weak spot for a good card player. I sat down, made friends, and launched part two of my college career.
I've stumbled a few times since then, of course. But I also like to think about the fact that my parents and my love of cards solidified this path in my life. It's crazy that these two unrelated forces helped me make, quite possibly, the first turning point of my life. And if you go back and read my first post, just over a week ago now - you'll see that I had another monumental moment in my life while reading a book about being undecided.
So that's why I ask - how did you get where you are today? What fates overlapped in a snapshot to get you in this position? And do you regret anything?
Until tomorrow.
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