I dabbled on the subject of this piece for quite some time. I knew I wanted to write something that in a way reflected the person, and the writer, I had become during these recent years, but also something that would touch on the many changes currently happening in my life.

I graduated this spring and got my BA. I remember feeling the winds of change during the graduation ceremony while listening to the multiple speeches given that day. I had the realisation that my life was, yet again, changing drastically. Later I felt those same winds while packing my suitcases, and again at the airport when I saw my flight appear on the departures board. The next time I felt those winds was when I woke up next to my partner in our home, over 1000 km away from Finland. As I started applying for jobs and preparing to register myself into my new home city, those winds were blowing. There is something odd about how easily and suddenly life really changes. I still vividly remember the day I first started university, the night I first talked to my current partner, and the first time we discussed moving in together after my studies. Back then the future together with all the changes it would bring seemed so far away and so unknown it was honestly pretty scary. But now as I am thinking about these changes I can see beyond the fear; there is much hope and excitement in the ways life moves onward.

When I still lived in Finland I often discussed my anxiety about change with my partner. ‘What if I don’t fit in our country?’, ‘What if I can’t find hobbies nor make new friends?’, ‘What if it takes me a long time to find a job?’. These were my thoughts for most of the time. My partner, sweet as he is, would always say that these thoughts start with ‘what if’ and thus are not reality. One can also say these ‘what ifs’ imply there is a possible reality where I make new friends, try new hobbies while continuing my old ones, and slowly find my place in my new home city. Sure these things might take some time, or not, but that is not set in stone. Alongside this, life will move onwards and it surely will not stop to wait for me to be done with my ‘what ifs’. A pretty frightening realisation, but also one filled with excitement about the future.

I would like for all our readers to allow change to happen, even if it is frightening, anxiety inducing or welcomed. One does not need to embrace it or feel ecstatic about it obviously, but understanding that life is in a constant state of change is important to living a fulfilling life - in my opinion at least. One does not get back the hours spent on worrying about all the possible outcomes nor the days spent on simply doing nothing, because they are too scared to move onwards. The world around us is filled with change: the seasons, the moon cycle, our cultures and our societies, and even our human bodies. While we may dread the arrival of the dark winter, we do not freeze to think about all the possible ‘what ifs’ it might bring alongside it. We simply have to accept it and look forward to sunny spring days. This same logic should thus be applied to our everyday lives - our relationships, our interests, our studies, and everything else that can drastically change in one’s lifetime.

To end this piece, I would like to thank all my friends at BTSB for the time we have spent together. I have learned a lot during these past few years and I hope you might have learned something from me too. This piece, alongside my poem also published in this summer issue, will be my last pieces for the time being. I will look back to my time here with joy, and I will keep coming back to read all the new issues from my new home in Germany. Onto new adventures! :)