RoadTrip Reflections

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What brings you joy? What are your strengths and weaknesses? Who does the world need you to be? These were some of the questions that I grappled with a couple of weekends ago when part of my sophomore class from my university went on a retreat called RoadTrip, which was centered around discernment and vocation. 

During the weekend, I realized that although it can be challenging, giving people second chances is worth it because everyone grows throughout their life and you never know where that person is in their life and how much they have evolved since the last time you interreacted with them. It definitely tends to be harder for people to give others second chances when people hold grudges. That is the case for me because I consider myself sensitive and when someone lets me down it is hard for me to truly forgive them even though I may have verbally forgiven them a while ago. Regardless, the retreat shed light on forgiving others and trying to see people’s personalities in a new light. 

This retreat also taught me that although you might have your future planned out or sketched to a certain degree, I think it is best to keep finding holes that might mess up your future plans. This is important because when life becomes stagnant it becomes boring and also unfulfilling. Shouldn’t the purpose of our life be to live it to its fullest capacity? This is a difficult concept for me to understand because I hate deviating from any plans whether that be my plan for approaching my homework for a particular day or my plan for after finishing college. Although it is still difficult to put myself in this mindset, RoadTrip taught me to keep questioning my plans to see if my heart or brain reacts to it in a different way. It would be silly to assume that our current personality, beliefs, and values will be the same for the rest of our lives. That is why it is beneficial to ask the harder questions about our lives to see how we might react differently to them. This might be distressing because no one wants to face new changes and see their life head in a new direction whether that be with their relationships, career or other elements in their life. However, it truly is a beneficial habit  because it is better to deviate from an unexpected plan earlier on if it ultimately will serve as a better decision.

Lastly, RoadTrip taught me that the best judge of your strengths and talents is not you but literally everyone else. Wouldn’t you think that you are your own best judge? False. Your own perception is deceiving and only people looking at you from the outside can tell you what your true strengths and weaknesses are. I already knew this from books I have read in the past, but the retreat reminded me to keep asking friends and family what they see me pursuing that would align with my talents. These people mean the best for you and want to help you succeed in life so do not be afraid of being vulnerable with them. 

I cherish retreats and I am thankful I was able to attend another one because I think that reflecting is so important, especially in a society that is constantly in a rush. I encourage you all to take some time out of your busy schedules, even if it is just for a few minutes to reflect upon your life. Ask yourself if you are truly happy with the path you are on now and where you are heading.  Ask yourself why or why not you are fulfilled, what got you to your current place in life, and what could you do to enhance your life if you are not satisfied with your current path. Although this may seem daunting, it is better to ask yourself these questions than to simply go through the motions of your life and never slow down and reflect upon where your road is taking you.


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