At this point, I am a professional student. I have been in some sort of school for twenty years. That feels like a long time to do anything. I am finally going to close out my book of student years, so that leads me to think a lot about what my next chapters in a new book will look like. It makes me feel excited that all of my years of education are finally paying off, and I will have a (hopeful) dream career ahead of me. Just last week, I think it finally hit me. So many of the life choices I have made have been replaying in my head recently, and I am seeing the pieces all coming together to form my big picture, ah-ha moment. Last Monday, I was subbing at the high school I attended. The day was as ordinary as all the other days I have spent subbing at that school, or so I thought. As I sat on the other side of the desk and looked into a classroom full of students who were just starting their high school career, I saw myself in them, and I could not help but think about who I was then and the person I hoped to be ten years later. Being back at the place of discovery and growth felt like I was seeing my story being rewound, and I recognized how far I have come in those ten years. I came home feeling like I was floating on cloud nine. I had the warmth and satisfaction about everything. Seeing the new generation of students choosing a path that sets them up for success and the start of following dreams, it made my heart happy for so many reasons. I felt pride in knowing the transformation that took place in me began there, and I owe so much of my journey to the person I found myself becoming then and continued to grow into as I defined my dreams along the way. For every decision I made as a young high schooler, I am proud of my dreamer’s heart to fall head over heels into my education, knowing it would be rewarding later. It was scary going to a brand new school and signing on to attend high school for an extra year. I kept having to tell myself this is for the best, and even in the uncertainty, I knew this was the path I needed to take to jumpstart my dreams. Later in the week, I still found myself reflecting back on my experiences and the people I have met on my life journey. As my friends and I gathered for our weekly Bible study at our favorite coffee shop, we read together in the book we have been working through this semester. This week’s chapter was “Define the Life You Want to Have,” and let me tell you, it hit me right in the feels. We had such fruitful discussion about the dreams we have all had, and so far, fulfilling beyond our wildest dreams. “Sweet precious one, if one day you are worried about what God is calling you to do with your priceless gift of life, listen to your heart of yours. Run like crazy down the path God has set your heart ablaze for, and the One who loves you will be around every corner, cheering you on. Be you, little one, and trust that heart God so tenderly gave you. If you don’t know what passion is yet, then keep trying things until it finds you. And in the meantime, you can build a life you dream of.” ~Emily Ley, Grace Not Perfection
Everything mentioned in this chapter of Grace Not Perfection was exactly the sentiments I had been feeling all week long leading up to our Thursday night together. I sat there underlining basically every other paragraph. I have been so blessed to have parents who have supported my dreams and pushed me to believe in them on the days I was ready to give up and never return. They respected my decision to leave the only school and friends I knew to go where I felt my dreams would be better supported elsewhere. They have celebrated my successes and comforted me in the losses. Not everyone is fortunate to have even one person cheering them on while chasing dreams, but I hit the parent jackpot with mine. For as many times that I wrote dreams on a whiteboard in my room, I would spend parts of each day imagining what reaching would look like and how it would feel. By writing it down, it became real in my mind that I would reach it someday. That someday far away is getting closer, and the dream is happening. Had I not chosen to go to the high school I did, I would have stayed where it was comfortable and familiar. By making that choice, it put me with a new class of peers, graduate a year later than I initially would have, and allow me to find the best friends I could have ever hoped for once I reached my university years. Sometimes staying where we are comfortable is not the best choice. I will be forever grateful for the path I have been traveling so far, and I can only hope the next journey will be just as rewarding. All of that to say, my dreams have always been lofty. I made a choice and the commitment not to let my dreams and aspiration take a back seat to anything. It has been a long time coming to see them come true. I am seven months away from having the key that opens the next door. This dream did not happen overnight, nor did I do it alone. The plan was set in place before I had the dream. I followed my heart and the direction that lead me to the place and person I am today. I do not know what the next ten years will hold, but one thing is for sure. The path has already been laid, and the plan has been made, I just have to discover it and follow it with the same great dedication and determination Stay Curious, Kayla ©Inquisitive Perspectives 2019
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