Blank canvas

It’s baffling how time flies by so quickly. One minute you’re this starry-eyed kid, and the next you realize that your 20s are almost up!

Suddenly it hits you that the things and people you know—or better yet, knew—are no longer the same. The scrawny child you used to tease is now this buffed muscle head, the prom queen has produced x number of kids and packed x number of pounds, he is now a she, the underachievers are now the big shots, the people you knew as children have children of their own… The list goes on and on.

You wonder: Where was I when all of these were happening? At first you get scared because it’s as if you’re starting from scratch; the fear of the unknown sets in. All you want to do is go back to that oh-so-familiar bubble, but life has a way of whacking you on the head to make you realize that what’s uncomfortable and painful can also bring you much joy and growth. It makes you realize that life has so much to offer if you will just open yourself and have the courage to tread the unknown.

Every experience alters you, your core, and challenges your view of how the world works. Now you are wiser because you can accept the simple fact that life is like a revolving door: Some people come and go, and that’s how it operates. People enter your life for one reason or another—to make you smile, to break your heart, to make you feel giddy, to annoy you, to offer friendship or love. Whether in a brief encounter or what seems a lifetime, they all lead you to realize something. Some may not be as profound as the others, but they help you discover or rediscover another side of you.

Things are never linear and no two paths are the same. Life and love are easy for some and challenging for others. Truly, there’s no sure thing in life. What I thought was constant and forever is now just another chapter that, sometimes, I so fondly look back on. What can seem to break you can actually make you whole, better, braver, stronger. It’s how you stood up, dusted yourself off, and moved forward that will define you and your journey.

At the end of it, as a wise person put it, life is like a blank canvas and we are the painters.

Paula Tan, 27, works as a senior associate in human resources.