Few days ago I was hanging out in the back of my apartment. We have a little door that opens to the back of the apartment complex that opens the view to nothing really, just a fence that separates us from another house. Typical of my residential area, closed to all three of Columbia campuses. Hanging out in the quite night, alone, lost in my bothering thoughts that try to get me somewhere, somewhere across that fence, I see something running towards me. This little animal is attracted by my lonely presence and is running towards me. It's an ugly little thing, I think I know what it is: an opossum. I've seen another one before around my house that scared me to death. I thought it was a pretty cat and when I looked closer I realised I ran into this ugly big mouse with an ugly long tail. I didn't even wanted to see the ugly animal again, so I quickly ran into the apartment and locked the door. I tried to forget the ugly thing, but nothing gets forgotten in my mind, it only passes through and I usually move on with an additional thought bothering my mind. All those thoughts that don't leave me alone! So I was curious: why did that small ugly thing run towards me? My curiosity pushed me to open the door again tonight: and the opossum is right in front of it this time, not running towards me but just waiting, looking at me. It's still ugly and I'm still scared to look at it, so I quickly lock the door again and move back into the apartment, where I can feel safe. Will the opossum be there tomorrow? Will it be there another time during the day? Did it really know I was gonna come back? Why did I open the door again to check if it was still there? And was it really an opossum? I couldn't stare too much at it, it was too ugly for my pretty eyes (mes larges yeux aux clartes eternelles!). So I went ahead and researched on the internet. I googled: opossum, and found my friend there. Pictures, descriptions, scientifical facts. It's probably still there in front of my door but I won't dare looking at it...but researching it on the internet is ok!
Strange that this opossum is even in my mind...I realized it reminds me of my life. All of a sudden an important decision is coming towards me. Time is passing, tomorrow is the 10th, then the 11th, then exactly a month and I will graduate. Life after graduation seems ugly but I won't even dare looking at it! I lock the door as soon as I get a glance. I don't even know what it is but it's too ugly! And yet it's there, just out there, waiting for me. I can research it on the internet as much as I want, I can lock the door as many times, but as soon as I open it the opossum is right there waiting! So one day I will need to get the guts to stand close to my opossum, stare at it, realize what it is and make a new friend, interact with it! I probably won't start playing with wild animals but I get that it's time to look into life seriously, no more escapes, no more "but it's ugly". It's out there and waiting for me...and opossums can turn out being great friends too! But of course the internet won't tell you so...