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.
