How Key Life Events Have Shaped The Person That I Am Today

We all experience many events that shape our lives. Even small events can change the directions of our lives enough to make a big difference. Looking back, I realized there are some events that anyone would predict would change the course of a life, and others I did not realize would be so significant. It really is crazy to look back and think about how my life would be so different if I had made a different decision. And really, how my choices have formed me into the person that I am today. Below are some events that have shaped my life.

Attending Psychology Class

I took my first psychology class when I was still attending high school. It was an introductory course and was counted as concurrent enrollment, meaning that it was taught by a college professor and I received college credit in addition to high school credit for completing it. Honestly, I was pretty nervous to take the class because I had never taken any kind of psychology class before and had heard people who had taken the high school version say it was a difficult class. After starting the class, I discovered that I was fascinated by the subject. Who knew that the way you draw a pig could tell you so much about your personality? I realized that everything I learned was very applicable to my life too. I found that by understanding more about psychology, I was able to have a much better understanding of myself. After completing the class with an imperfect grade, I realized that the field of psychology probably was not for me as I struggled with memorizing the parts of the brain and their functions. Besides, I thought I would never get anywhere past an associate's degree (if I was lucky) anyway. However, after the next few years, I continued to think about the things I had learned in that class often. Eventually, I decided to go back to school to get a bachelor's degree. Psychology was something that I was very interested in and had career paths that could lead to some good income so I decided to get my bachelor's degree in psychology.

Having my son

Obviously, having a child is one of those big life events that is going to make a noticeable difference. Having my son, A, is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I had always wanted to be a mother someday and could not wait for the day to come since I was very young. I remember the day the test showed positive. It had only been two days since I had taken a test that showed negative so I knew very early on that I was pregnant. When I saw that faint pink line, I was almost in disbelief and I felt so excited that I could hardly wait to tell everyone I knew. Throughout my pregnancy, it felt like I had so much time to bond with the little miracle that was growing inside me. I would feel little flutters that eventually became harder kicks as A grew bigger. He was so perfect and I hadn't even seen him yet. He eventually was born five days after his due date (which felt like forever!) and was the most perfect thing I had ever seen! He was a little bit of me and a little bit of my husband, C. Even at such a young age, his little personality began to show. He was trying to hold his head up in the hospital and the nurses would say he had such a strong neck. As he grew, he was always very active. Now, A is a very active three-year-old who seems to have an endless supply of energy from the moment he wakes up until the moment he falls asleep. Before A, I had been a workaholic who picked up every shift that was ever offered. My days were quiet and I had lots of time for myself. Now, my house always looks very lived in as A is always playing with anything he can find, my days are full of activity and noise, and I am never alone. Motherhood is far more exhausting than I had ever thought it would be but I am so happy and feel like my life has so much purpose, I would never trade it for anything. Everything I do is with the hopes that I can provide a great life and set as good of an example as I can for A.

My Graduation From College

When I decided to go back to college, I figured I would probably barely make it through and be able to have at least a diploma to help me get a better job. While I had hoped and said I would continue on to graduate school, I had never actually thought I would make it there. When I attended graduation for my bachelor's degree, I had not expected it to feel so good or to be so emotional about it. It was a really big deal to me because I had become pregnant just before starting my first semester back at school. So, the entire time I was working on my degree, I was either pregnant or had a new baby to take care of. In addition to that, I was still working full-time and was a full-time student. It had been so much work but I knew it would be worth it. Another reason it had been a big deal to me was because I was a first generation student, meaning that neither of my parents completed a college degree. This was me making a new path for my son. I wanted him to be able to grow up knowing that whatever he wants to do in life is possible. A, who was one-year-old at the time, was able to watch me graduate. I was later shown a video of A clapping and saying "yay, Mom!" that had been recorded during the graduation. He didn't know what was going on but he knew it was something worth cheering about. Graduation had felt so good and it made me so happy to see that A was watching and cheering me on and that, one day, he would be able to understand the significance of it all. This made me determined to make sure I got into a graduate program. Now, I am almost a third of the way done with my graduate program and look forward to celebrating my graduation in about two years when A will be five and more doors of opportunity will open to me.

What events have shaped your life?

• Attending a class
• Having a child
• Graduating from college
• Other