CURRENT ISSUE:  OCTOBER 2023

Dublin Diaries: What’s Meant for You Won’t Pass You By

 

The Dublin Diaries: What’s Meant for You Won’t Pass You By
by Margaret Mary Hicks

I’ve been struggling lately. And I know I am not alone in saying that, especially during this time. I find myself having really good days and not so good days. I grow frustrated and increasingly feel that my emotions are indescribable a lot of the time. It feels like many things have been stolen from me.

My last moments as a student at Trinity, my social life, nights out and just having my life back seems so far away. While many of these things just seem like small drops in the ocean of the world’s problems, the loss of control and suspension of time has been getting to me.

However, I try to stay as mindful as possible. It is important now to monitor how I am feeling and reflect upon how lucky I am to still be here and be safe. While I can ruminate and worry about all of the what-ifs, could-have-beens and what the future will look like, it can be hard to get out of that mindset.

To get out of the spiraling worries, I try to focus on what I can control in my life and how I can better myself as a person during this time in isolation. While it can be easy to fall into dwelling on shortcomings and the unknown future awaiting me, I remind myself that better days will come, and this won’t last forever.

One of my favorite sayings is, “What’s meant for you won’t pass you by.” It’s an old Irish proverb and it always comforts me whenever I stress about the future. Since graduating, I have been trying to find my new identity and honestly my early twenties have been at times very lonely. 

I was so unbelievably lucky to be surrounded by the best friends I’ve ever had in college at Ohio University. After graduation, it was an incredible loss and for a while I felt like I’d lost touch with myself and who I was before moving to Dublin.

It was very hard to let go of those meaningful times in Athens and I find myself missing those times now more than ever. Even though I am living my absolute dream here in Dublin, I can’t help but think about how much joy and love I was surrounded by back home. Despite this, I know I am not losing that friendship and this lockdown has made me appreciate how wonderful it was to have had that experience. 

As I approach my 24th birthday, I can’t help but wonder about what could be or if I am living my life fully as I intended. While I am grateful for all the privileges and the life I have been given, I can’t help but feel that some of the most important times of my life are being stripped from me.

I recently got a call from a friend back home who expressed his frustrations with me as well. We are both in similar situations, thousands of miles away from home and very uncertain of our futures ahead. We just got our lives together and it seemed like our new beginnings were finally happening. Now, it seems like our dreams are slowly slipping away from us.

While it is very likely there will be struggles ahead, it will also likely cause us to work harder and enhance our skill set. Most importantly, I believe this situation will cause us to grow in every aspect: professionally, personally, mentally and even spiritually.

During this time, I encourage you to reflect and do things that are within your control. That is how we can truly feel in charge of our lives again and focus on improving ourselves. Stay strong and remember, if it’s meant for you, it won’t pass you by.

Slán go fóill,

*Margaret Mary is a postgraduate student studying marketing at Trinity College Dublin. She is an alumna of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and is from Cleveland, Ohio. To keep up with her adventures abroad, follow @margamary on Instagram.”

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