Have you ever passed by a river and paused to stare at your reflection? You’ll find that the image peering back at you looks just like you, but jagged and misshapen from the waves of the water. Your reflection can be observed on a variety of surfaces, whether it be in the bend of a metal spoon, or as you pose in the mirror. However, your reflection will never be you—it can never perfectly encompass the way that you appear to those around you. Reflections are simply warped and imprecise projections of what actually is.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll find that a large portion of life is spent in reflection. Sometimes it’s peaceful and spent as a fragment of time dedicated to simply regard what has happened. Other times, reflections are filled with excitement— eagerness for the future, and geniality with the past. The worst cases are when reflections are provoked by regret and grow increasingly saturated with disapproval.
Similar to physical reflections, emotional reflections are often laden with inaccuracies and contortions. When we recall events that transpired, there is no way that we can remember them completely accurately, and our reflections become easily morphed by our perception. Reflections are an important indicator of emotional status and they are necessary, for me at least, to move forward from one of life’s many events to another.
As the 2021-2022 school year comes to an end, the summer provides us with ample time to reflect on all that has occurred. I tend to use the summer period as a way to mentally prepare myself for the next semester. I contemplate all that I am proud of, disappointed in, and everything in between. Most of all, I reflect on how I’ve changed. It’s hard to truly measure growth until the growing period has concluded, so at the end of each year, I’m typically surprised by how much I have grown.
I hope that your school year was sprinkled with mostly happy memories! Of course, life is quite unpredictable and always has a way of throwing us for a loop, but I hope that this school year went well for you and that all of your summer reflections are positive.
Second-Year Freshman is an Opinion column used to explore the unique experiences of Sophomore students who studied remotely their freshman year during the coronavirus pandemic, and are now experiencing campus life for the first time during the 2021-2022 academic year.
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