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Fork in the Road
Riche Richardson is a sophomore English major from Montgomery, Alabama
She will serve as the 1991-92 Associate Editor for the Spotlight.
Photo taken by Alanna Conley.
A
By Rich£ Richardson
Time flies!
I can’t believe that I’ll be a junior
next semester.
In other words, my college days,
the days that adults in the "real world"
tell me to enjoy because I’ll look back
and say "that was the best time of my
life," have reached the halfway mark.
My college days are crucial
because they will set the foundation for
the rest of my life. Therefore, I want
to be sure that I’m using these precious
days well.
First, I’m really scared that I’m not
presently discovering everything that I
need to discover.
I don’t want to look back when I
finally become a senior and find out
that I didn’t do enough to cushion my
entry into the "real world."
I want to do all that I can do now
to ensure that I set a good foundation
for my future career.
I’ll never forget the emptiness that
I felt during my senior year of high
school when I realized that I’d missed
out on opportunities that could have
helped me to set an even better
foundation for college.
I accomplished a lot during those
days; yet, I could have accomplished a
lot more if I’d known initially what I
ultimately discovered.
I’m not meticulous about
everything, and I’m not a person who’s
never satisfied.
I just don’t want to feel like
kicking myself senior year for not
knowing something that I should have
! known.
Second, I want to develop an even
better sense of who I am. I have a
good sense of who I am, but I want a
great sense of who I am.
When I came to Spelman, I was a
young lady who refused to deem
herself a bona-fide woman because she
had neither learned nor experienced
enough to bestow such a powerful,
honorable title upon herself. She only
knew that she would use her Spelman
experience to get closer to wholeness
and womanhood.
Well, I still want to be closer to
being a woman for all seasons when I
leave Spelman in two years, and I
always want integrity and high
standards to govern my life.
I don’t believe that a person can
ever feel whole on earth. However, I
do believe that a person reaches a
point when she has profound power
over herself, security, and fulfillment.
She never doubts that she is
lovable, capable, and beautiful.
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She believes this whether others,
especially men, believe it or not.
She knows this because she loves
and accepts herself completely; she has
"that’s right, I am somebody" and "yes,
I believe in me" written all over her
beautiful face.
I want to be strong enough and
woman enough to face the challenges
that will bombard me when my days at
Spelman end.
In essence, I never want to lose
any of who I am because I’ve fought
hard to become who I am. Yet, I
want to enhance myself.
Third, I want to gain all that I can
possibly gain from my education here
at Spelman.
I would cheat myself if I primarily
made college a career-ticket.
Each test-filled, paper-typing day I
must resist the temptation to simply
make the grade.
A shallow "A” is not okay.
Essentially, I want to become more
of a scholar. I read a lot, and I’ve
learned a lot. Yet, I’m scared that I’m
not learning enough.
So much is waiting to be
discovered. So many ideas are waiting
to be contemplated by an analytical
mind.
Never again will I have the
opportunity to be surrounded by so
many young, intelligent people again
who are primarily scholars.
Therefore, I’m worried that I’m not
using my time with them well enough.
I’m not meeting as many fellow
scholars as I should get to know.
Fourth, I’m worried that I’m not
doing enough to make my dreams
come true.
God has given me the power to
make my dreams realities.
Also, in life, God always turns
every "no" into a "yes." Therefore, if
my dreams don’t come true in the ways
that I want them to materialize, then I
know that God will provide me with
something more rewarding than what I
wanted at first.
Even the crosses that I’ve been sent
in my life have made me a stronger
person.
Essentially, I want to be satisfied
with myself and my accomplishments
when I leave Spelman.
Only I can turn myself into a
better person. I’ve been taught that
God helps those who help themselves.
I’ve got to do enough now to
ensure that I am where I want to be
during my ultimate days at Spelman.
Fifth, I want to enjoy my friends
to the fullest extent while all of us are
here together.
When college is over, we’ll go our
separate ways. More than likely, we’ll
write, call, and visit one another from
time to time. Nevertheless, it won’t be
the same because we’ll never be as
"together" again as we are now.
They are a part of my everyday
life now, so I want to make sure that
I cherish each day that we have
together.
At times, I don’t feel that I’m
taking full advantage of the time that
we have together now.
For example, I don’t go out with
them as often as I should because I’ve
never been much of an outgoing person
in a social sense. I want my friends to
be a part of my life for the rest of my
life.
Therefore, I’m going to work with
them now to set an even better
foundation for lifelong relationships.
Sixth, I’ve heard numerous females
express the sentiment "I need/want a
man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Naturally, I, too, am
concerned about establishing
meaningful ties with males. I’ve had
great ideas for a long time about what
makes a good relationship. Yet, I
haven’t put those ideas to use lately in
actual situations.
I’m afraid that I’m limiting myself
by not meeting and getting to know
more guys. I won’t know how
practical and realistic my ideas are
unless I actually put them to use.
People learn by doing and
experiencing things.
One of my friends said, "Rich6, if
you don’t start taking the initiave now,
you may spend your life waiting for
your man for all seasons."
I really need to learn to swallow
my pride and admit my feelings when
they emerge instead of fearing
rejection. I don’t like to put my pride
and emotional stability on the line.
Yet, life is about chances. Maybe
I’ll try to speak up from now on when
Cupid’s arrow hits me and sparks my
interest in a guy, for I don’t want to
look back someday when it’s too late
and wish I had.
Finally, I have two more years at
Spelman. If I try hard enough, then I
know that I can make my dreams
materialize with the help of the Lord.
I know that I can get closer to
being the woman for all seasons that I
long to be. I have the power within
me to hit the stars. This is a crucial
point in my life.
I’ve reached another fork in the
road. With God’s help, I want to take
the path that will make me look back
someday, and in the words of Robert
Frost say:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and
I -1 took the one less traveled by, and
that has made all the difference.
Spelman:
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