Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Making it count


I officially have one week left in co-op. I remember finishing my first week and thinking, “One week down, 25 to go.” Well it is crazy to think now, “25 down, one to go.” I think this last week is all about making it count.
   I will do a full reflection on my co-op when I have some more time to really think and write about it. For now, it’s about tying up loose ends and making my mark before my time at Globe South comes to a close.
   The thing about being an intern is that there is a sense of temporariness. There is a timeline, an expiration date, an expectation of a last day on this job. That is what is great about it. I had to make every moment spent in this office count.
   I tried to absorb the greatness that oozes from the minds in the newsroom. I tried to take every mistake in stride and learn from it. I tried to see my value in every task, no matter how menial. If I wasn’t making it count, I would have been wasting my time. And those six months are not ones I’m getting back.
   I don’t want to lose focus in the last week from how hard I’ve worked in the past 25 weeks. It’s a bit like the feeling kids get that last week before summer vacation. “It doesn’t matter anyway; we’ll be done in a week.” But I don’t want to feel that. I want to make every second worth my time.
   I want to end this job on a high note of accomplishment and satisfaction of achievement. I think I’m headed in the right direction, but I can’t give up the determination I started with.
   The hardest part will be the goodbyes. I’ve never enjoyed goodbyes. I’m terrible at them and feel wholly uncomfortable at the thought of “This is it.” I think it’s because change is an uncomfortable concept. I know that change will always be cycling through my life, but it that is the one thing I will never get used to. (Probably because it is always changing. A catch-22 if you ask me.)
   Anyway, I know that change is good. It means new steps and new doors. It means a new path to self-discovery. It means I’m doing this thing called “growing up” ok. I’m not failing at becoming a fully functional human being.
   So in the next week, I want to finish strong with my head held high with pride in myself for coming this far and a little fear of what comes next and experience to draw upon. I want to make it count.