Rejection is a part of life. It’s a process that will hurt emotionally at the beginning but can be beneficial in the long run. Something better may be waiting for you.
Why didn’t I learn that about 15 years ago?
Tonight I’ll go back to a time when I dealt with rejection. Unfortunately there were a few times I let it break me instead of letting it help me grow.
Twenty years ago, during my senior year of high school, I was in the process of applying to colleges. I had a few in mind. One was Robert Morris. It had what I wanted in terms of a major and was close to home. But when we looked through the booklet and checked out the price, we balked at how expensive it was going to be. This really wasn’t rejection from the university itself but I was rejecting myself from attending here.
While it would have been feasible to stay home for two years attending WCCC, I attended school at Hiram G. Andrews Center (with plans to move on to the local community college). That was the plan and in the long run, it’s been one of the best decisions I made. It helped me to become independent and I had many life experiences during the first leg of my college run. One being that I learned to drive while at HGAC. I would then attend Slippery Rock after I completed my courses at the Community College. Things will work out the way they’re supported to.
I wish I learned that when it came to relationships.
While at Slippery Rock, I met a girl in my Campus Crusade chapter whom I took a liking to. We hooked up a few times during the Fall of 2003. We met at one of the mixers that CRU put together. She gave me a ride back to my dorm because it was on her way. Upon dropping me off, I knew our paths would cross again. Surely they did.
We saw a good bit of each other that fall. I learned that she was a senior education major getting ready to student teach on the spring. While preparing for her Praxis, I passed around a card for everyone in CRU to sign. While a kind gesture, it was obvious that I wanted something in return. I wanted a relationship with her. I was talked out of asking her out because it wasn’t the right time.
I attended her graduation in the Spring of 2004 with some of my friends. I gave her a gift while we were in the Student Union following commencement. A few weeks later I put my feelings for her in a letter. I waited the entire summer to hear back. When I got her return letter a week before, it wasn’t good. She turned me down. I should have seen it coming but at the time I was 22 and trapped in my own selfishness. She had her own plans after graduation and didn’t want to lead me on. I was hurt 😞 but should have thought about her own feelings. The last we saw of each other was in December of 2004 at a wedding in Butler for two of our CRU friends.
The same can be said looking for a job.
After college, I was putting applications in and applying for work in my field. I didn’t hear from many of those companies, plus I was also turned down due to lack of work experience. Even those companies that I interviewed at didn’t work out. Things just weren’t looking good for me early on in my job search. Plus it didn’t help that I was holding out for the perfect job.
I settled for menial work. It was a stepping stone but it was where I needed to start. Of course I’ve been at the same job now for 11 years and after so long, I’ve built a little work family where I am.
Lesson learned: Rejection is a part of life. Just learn to deal with it and keep moving.
Time to close off the blog with a Slippery Rock shoutout. The Robert M. Smith Student Center has been around since 2012 and is a beautiful building. I’ve been in there a few times as I’ve gone up for homecoming in the Fall. The waterfall is really nice to look at.
Remember to live your best life and be your best you. ROCK out because you are worth it. LOVE yourself every day and wow everyone with your SMILE. The weekend is almost here and contest season is underway in District 13. I’ll be in State College this Saturday for Area 22’s contest and will be the model speaker.
Happy almost Friday. Bye everyone. ❤️ you. 😘
Stylish 🍒 