There is no such thing as invincible

Invincible is a strong word. Stronger than love, hate, war or peace. Invincible is never-ending.This is the one thing I've learned at Brockport that will never change. It cannot be altered by new studies, but shaped by our own experiences.

Perhaps the word is so strong because it doesn't really exist. Something that does not exist cannot be disproved. Love, hate, war and peace can all end. But invincible is something that has never existed.

It has taken me a long time to write this column, but as I wrap up my four years at college, it only seems appropriate to take the time to share the most important lesson I have learned: Nothing and no one is invincible, and your perceptions of people can change in an instant.

In high school, there is a mentality that everyone is invincible. When my friends and I all got our licenses, it's what we felt. We finally had control over our lives, and we were invincible.

It wasn't until my junior year here that this image came crashing down. In high school, I was lucky. Life seemed to be following its natural order. I had lost people in my life, many of whom were family. While it was difficult, I was able to cope because these people were much older. Many were sick, and I felt some sort of closure because in the back of my mind, their deaths were inevitable.

Last November is when this all changed. One of my closest friends from high school was killed in a car accident on her way to school. She was three years younger than me, and at times, she seemed like a younger sister.

There is nothing in the world that could prepare you to receive a phone call like that. Not only was it the first time I recognized someone my age could have their life taken so unexpectedly, but it showed me another side of my parents, and brought me closer to them. I never expected to feel like such a child at my oh-so-mature 20 years of age, but I did. But I also felt as if I aged 10 years in the span of one week.

I can't place a time on how long it took me to feel OK again, but once I did, I realized how important it was to not take people in your life for granted. It's one of those things you always know, but when an event like this occurs, it's really driven home.

This past February, my faith and strength were put to the test again. My father, mother, brother and his girlfriend were in a car accident along the thruway on the way home from my grandmother's house in Niagara Falls. Luckily, they were all OK, but my father was hospitalized for tests. Less than a day later, the doctors discovered that his heart was pausing, causing him to lose consciousness. The worst part was the pauses were getting longer. He was rushed into heart surgery to have a pacemaker inserted.

The days I spent in the hospital with my mother, brother and sister were the longest I've ever experienced. I've never felt closer and yet further from my family. It was a constant battle of worry and putting on brave faces.

I'm glad to say my father made it through fine and is completely back to normal, except he has this lump on his chest, which distinguishes him as the half-bionic man. The weirdest part about the whole experience is how it changed my perception of my father.

If anyone could epitomize the word invincible, I would have picked my father. While he is only about six feet tall, he is enormous. And by saying this, I don't mean he is fat by any means. My dad is a boyfriend's worst nightmare (and my boyfriend has told me this). While I always thought of my dad as a big teddy bear, to outsiders, he is a grizzly bear.

After this accident, I still see this, but I'm wiser now. I know my father is not invincible.

It may all be a part of growing up and I know others have been forced to grow up sooner. I've been lucky my whole life. In the past few years, though, I've learned more about myself than I have learned in any classroom at Brockport. I've learned how to be strong for myself and more importantly, for others.

Invincible means never-ending, but as invincible ideas start to fall apart, I've learned there's strength that parallels it, and in the end, takes its place.