Permanence is a funny thing, and something we have been increasingly thinking about recently. Though we have both made a few relatively permanent decisions, ranging from getting a tattoo to choosing where to get our degrees, our lives up until this point have remained pretty fluid.
As children, others always made the most important decisions for us. Mother knew best when picking out the perfect pair of Mary Jane shoes (for Erin) or synchronized swimming goggles (for Marina). And let’s be real, neither of those things lasted longer than a year.
The first permanent decision Erin made for herself, sort of, came in the form of a tattoo last spring. After attending a foreign study program in New Zealand, where tattoo culture permeates even the most corporate jobs, she decided it was time to finally make good on her threat to ink her body — ruining her chances of being buried in a Jewish cemetery. Yet even after the pain subsided and the bandage was removed, it seemed unfathomable that this symbol would remain a part of her body forever. Sometimes she still gets surprised when it mysteriously appears in the shower.
As for Marina, she’s still looking for a story that deep to reflect her first permanent decision.
Since coming to college, it’s only natural that we have greater independence. Now that we’re hunting for summer jobs and thinking about the rest of our lives, the permanence of major life choices, no matter how small, is daunting. Hopefully we’ll be able to use the wisdom we’ve accumulated here to make some of our own life choices. As of now, we’ll settle for making the tough decision between stir fry and pasta.
