Last month, my sister was the last one out of all of my siblings to graduate from high school. When deciding on what to get her as a graduation present I struggled to think of what route to go. Do I go functional and get her something she may need for college? Do I go sentimental and get her a picture frame full of pictures of us over the years to put up in her dorm? Then I thought of my senior year of high school and some of the best words I have received about life and one’s future.
Days before my graduation from high school my senior government teacher had us make a necklace out of a page out of a magazine, a paper clip, and string. The piece of magazine ended up being rolled into what looked like a cinnamon roll made out of paper. After attaching the string to the paper she came around and wrote the directions North, South, East, and West on one side of the paper roll in order for the roll to resemble the compass. After all the necklaces were completed, she said her parting words to our class, “The journey has just begun. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams”. Those words hit me like an eighteen wheeler and are now eternally etched into the internal compass of my heart and soul.
It has been over two years since I left the halls of my high school, and, quite honestly, I did not know where life would take me after my tenure ended there. However, I gripped onto these words and followed the direction life has taken me. These words have led me to some of the greatest highest and lowest valleys of my emotional, personal, and physical life, yet I follow the second part of the phrase, “…go confidently in the direction of your dreams”. No matter what life has thrusted my way I always come back to square one. What is it that I want? What is my dream? What do I crave? What is my passion? As human beings we often get sidetracked by distractions put on by events, people, or even ourselves. We often forget what our dreams are and where we want our lives to go. We neglect to acknowledge at a certain point, what we want out of life.
A few nights ago I decided to take a walk around where I lived. I have been so crazy working three jobs, keeping up with friends and family, and trying to have a personal life. As I was on my walk and had a second to breathe these words instantly popped into my mind. I started thinking about them and then thought of my best friend. You see my best friend is moving to Florida this week in order to attend chiropractic school. I will not get the chance to see him as frequently as I would like or go for a weekend visit to his college at the drop of a hat. However, this is all OK because I think of the quote. “The journey has just begun. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams”. We are both pursuing our passions. Our dreams. We both are some of each other’s biggest cheerleaders. We are both so proud of one another.
So, what did I buy my sister for graduation? I bought her a necklace of a globe. It was attached to a piece of paper that said, “The journey has just begun. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams”. She is attending college this fall in hopes of becoming a traveling nurse. Her journey, like the rest of ours, has just begun.
