My Two-Cents: C'est La Vie

I recently watched Duke’s Commencement speech given by Jerry Seinfeld, since it popped up on my Twitter. The thread also laddled on with some other controversy, but I’m not here to talk about that, as I did find some good sentiment to take away from the address. 

My favorite trinket of wisdom from the comedian was “The less secure and confident you feel in the direction, the more surprises and excitement you will have in store.” What a fun, and a bit unconventional, food for thought. I and many others around me find graduation nearing in the following week. And yet, I find myself feeling like I know less than when I started. I feel like I don’t know a whole lot. The one thing I do know is a whole list of things I do not know. Some trivial – I still do not know how to read all the funny symbols that pop up on my car dashboard. Squiggly figure that looks like a jellyfish means call Grandpa. Sometimes two jellyfish that look like they're fighting each other pop up, and that means call Grandpa ASAP! On a less trifling list, I have a whole bunch of other things I don’t understand, like the concept of time, (which includes how to get ready in time so my roommates don’t have to yell at me that we are 15 minutes late) and what I want to do with the rest of my life. But if I refer back to handy-dandy Seinfeld and his advice, maybe this is okay. Maybe the ones that don’t know are the lucky ones! The late bloomers get a TSA precheck-fast-pass ticket to a shit show of fun and finding out. 

Now that I’ve identified I actually know jack-shit, I’m going to try to eat my words here and spit out a couple of things that I do know for sure. These things I’ve gathered from my four years in college will probably be my haphazard, impromptu guide going forward for the next four years. A lot of it is from Seinfeld, because why not get your life guide from a guy with a kick-ass TV show.

• When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind. The only way we can get through this world is through the kindness we receive from others.
• Always tip well. It’s good karma. 
• Fall in love with anything and everything you can. Seinfeld talks about this in his speech. It’s easy to love people. It’s even easier to love hobbies and jobs and random shit. If you get lost in loving the little things, you can distract yourself from all the big daunting problems in the world.
• Coffee is not just for closers. Coffee is for me. Whenever I want. Whatever time I want.
• Find the torture you're comfortable with. Most things suck at least a little bit. Have you ever tried working out? A good portion of it sucks. That’s not the point though. You feel good after. Same with work. Some bitch could think writing sucks, but I’m pretty comfortable with that torture so it’s probably something I’ll continue to invest time in. I like the quote “The best portion of a good man/woman’s life will be the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness. This rings true but it could also be rewritten to say that the best part of a good man/woman’s life will be the time it sucked but he/she was kinda/sorta okay with it because most things suck.
• Laughter is the only universal language. Can you think of anything else that speaks the same in every language? I can’t. Humor is a bullet, a latch, and a key – a real trifecta and the answer to most problems. Though not all, so make sure you read the room. 

Happy graduation season to all those who celebrate! C’est la vie!