Gaining Ground in the Expedition of Life
When we were kids, the question “what do you want to be when you grow up” was not a loaded question. It was a fun question to answer because there were no connotations attached to it, no pressure of adulthood, and perhaps most importantly, there was no obligation to go through with it. For this reason, so many of us have fantasized about being astronauts, doctors, actors, a princess, or an athlete. We had these dreams of being something even though the path before us was non-existent. Yet we carried on with these beliefs and continued to answer the questions as they came along. It’s ironic how things change. The same questions we were giddy to answer without hesitation as children, now sometimes haunt us, induce anxiety, and make us question ourselves and our choices.
It’s enthralling to think about how far we have all come and how we have gotten to where we are. Our paths have continuously changed, adapted, and taken detours as we have navigated through our personal, academic, and professional lives. Now, we are preparing ourselves for a future that our five-year-old selves never imagined. It is not necessarily a bad thing but is interesting to consider. Is it the “real world” we were all afraid of before becoming adults that made us figure out the path we want to be on? Or is it something else? Perhaps a combination of underlying forces that begin to pave the way for our journey? Whatever it may be, that path has been different for all of us; where we have been, where we are, and where we plan to go. Sometimes I still wish to become those things I desired to be as a child. Not because they are realistic or how I want to spend my life, but because they seem like a dream that someday maybe down the road could become reasonable, and desirable, should my path change.
In a few months, some of us will be graduating. In some ways it makes me feel so old. I tell people around me who are older this, and they laugh and usually respond with: “you think you feel old, but how do you think I feel?” When I refer to feeling “old,” I use it differently than to suggest aging. I use it to describe how far on my path I have ventured. Granted, some people don’t like to think of their lives metaphorically. However, I imagine life is a journey, where our paths are always changing to the specifications of our life at any given moment. It’s not a linear function because it constantly changes. Throughout this journey we have ups and downs, face obstacles and forks in the road, but our choices, how we deal with our experiences, shape the path of the future. I am not sure if any of us know the exact moment when our eyes became set on a different course, and when we began to understand how we would work towards achieving whatever it is we wanted for ourselves. However, I think we can agree though that we have somehow established a path for ourselves and now we are gaining ground as we traverse it.
In many ways, I think about paths of life and our interaction with them in terms of shoes. We all have worn shoes. I’m not talking about the dusty, partially worn-in shoes that we take out for weddings and funerals, but the ones that accompany us everywhere we go. They feel the weight of life pushing down on them as they traverse through the rocky terrain, picking up stones, dirt, grass, mud, knowledge, and experience as they go along. Their wear sometimes shows, but they ultimately can be dusted off, repaired, and get you to your next destination. However, sometimes your needs change, and so do your shoes. What served you through one path of life is now obsolete.
These shoes we have worn up until this part of life will most likely be retired soon as we venture into our futures. It’s fascinating to think about how we have all set out on different paths and where our shoes have taken us. It’s not something to take for granted. There’s an important story embedded within them; from the time you took your first steps as a child to the steps you’ll take on stage receiving your diploma on graduation day. But even that isn’t the end. This portion of life is only a piece of the larger whole. These shoes are remarkable. These shoes are a representation of a part of your life. I hope that you understand within them that they have supported you, carried you through, and are indicative of gaining ground on the expedition of life.
Image obtained from Squarespace.
