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| Katie Cambron Class of 2016 |
From my first day of pre-school until the day I graduated
high school, my family dinners always included my parents asking the age old
question, “What did you learn today?”
For those fourteen years my answers ranged somewhere between “red and
yellow make orange” and spouting out calculus theorems. Of course, after moving to UofL, nightly
dinners and the discussion of my school day with Mom and Dad faded away. The ritual question, however, has remained a
part of my daily routine.
Each night, before I delve into my current Netflix
addiction, I ask myself, “What did I learn today?” Sure, throughout the past four years I have
learned a lot about economic, financial, and accounting principles. I’ve read Plato, studied astronomy, debated community
issues, attended lectures by senators, and shaken hands with the US Ambassador
to the United Nations. The knowledge I
have gained is far beyond what I ever anticipated. Yet, when I reflect each day, these aren’t
the things that I tell myself I have learned.
So what have I learned in my time as an undergraduate? More than ever before, I now know that some
days are good days. These are the days
that you land a new internship, sail the Potomac River with amazing friends, or
enjoy a baseball game with a chili dog in one hand and cold beverage in the
other. The good days come from a sense
of joy and peace that you’re doing just fine.
I’ve also learned that there are bad days. For me, bad days come from receiving a
not-so-stellar test grade, the end of a valued relationship, and to-do lists
that never seem to end. On these days,
you long for a hug and “I love you” from your mom. Bad days are also cured with macaroni and
cheese, Dairy Kastle ice-cream cones, and a mountain of sour gummy worms. The saving grace at the end of these “bad
days” is the serenity that comes from knowing tomorrow is a fresh start.
You learn that life is a mix of good and bad days and you’re
okay with that. Then out of nowhere,
you’re hit with the worst type of day: The Terrible Awful. Life seems perfect until you’re faced with a
curve ball: a severely ill parent, the death of a friend, or a single regrettable
decision that leaves you living your own personal tragedy. The thing about the terrible awful day is
that it isn’t just a day; it’s weeks, or months, or maybe even a year. You come to question your life in an entirely
new fashion. The world moves at its own
crazy pace, yet somehow you just stand still as everything and everyone passes
by. From these days, however, you learn
the greatest lesson of all. You learn
that you are loved, you do matter, and that you are incredibly strong. The terrible awful days aren’t cured by sweet
treats, Netflix binges, or baseball games.
They are cured by discovering a new love and appreciation for yourself
and your purpose.
To be frank, I have lived some bad days, many terrible awful
days, but more good days than I can ever begin to count. By far the most valuable thing I’ve learned
in the entirety of my short twenty-two years is that I am a warrior. (Obviously I’ve come along way from “red and
yellow make orange”.) I’ve learned that
we need the bad days to appreciate the good.
And most certainly, we need the terrible awful days to appreciate
ourselves and all of the unimaginably wonderful experiences and people that are
yet to come our way. Learning goes far
beyond text books and documentaries. It
leads us to the depths of our being, calling into question our values, hopes,
and fears. Ray LeBlond once said, “You
learn something everyday if you pay attention.” So ask yourself not only, “What have I
learned today?”, but also, “What do I want to learn tomorrow?”
Katie Cambron is a senior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She majors in economics with a minor in political science.