“It’s about time that the pieces fell together.” …right? There’s this assumption that once a person hits college that they choose their major and field, and their life is (relatively) set out before them. It isn’t until that person gets to college and takes a deep inward look, do they realize that isn’t how the world works. Can I get an amen!?
But we’re told over and over that from here, we can go anywhere.
“It’s about time you moved out of your parent’s house.” Everyone swore when they turned 18 that they’d never have to return home. Yet I was back before I finished my second year at school. Consider me lucky, though, because home hasn’t just been a landing pad, but a launching pad. The comfort and familiarity I’ve come to know here have a distinct dissimilarity from anywhere else I’ve ever lived. So much is different at ‘home’ since high school, and the changes were something that I needed to experience myself before launching “Samantha’s Future; Mission 2.0”, where I will take on the world again, this time more sovereignly. Being able to land back in Iowa has renewed my confidence that I will succeed at whatever I put my mind to.
“It’s about time you wrapped your mind around your own identity.” Who are you away from your family? Away from your city, your state, country, friends, technology… your own bed!? What are your plans, separate from anyone else’s expectations? Even amidst a whirlwind of rainstorms, secrets, crazy runs, long days, long nights, my first car, fancy beer, rumors, solitude, cheap beer, music, diets, endeavors, business lunches, a robbery, I’ve realized that every little piece of the puzzle will eventually come together.
But really, it’s about time. If the average life expectancy is age 80, that means we have less than 30,000 days each. And by age 20, there are only about 22,000 days left. Let’s not even think about those last few, which usually aren’t terribly lucrative. There are milestones to be had, adventures to be taken, friends to be made, and mysteries to be uncovered in these next 22,000! It’s about time that we start taking advantage of every single day and every single decision.
“It’s about time you start planning your future.” Well, I have a plan. I used to have a plan, and tomorrow I’ll have a new plan. My plan used to be to run away to Europe and live happily ever after with an International Business degree and a man with a French accent. Now, the plan is to finish Uni here in Iowa (CyclONE Nation!), continue down the fantastic career in finance that I have begun, and then continue to go where the world takes me.
It may seem silly to start my worldwide life by spending two more years in Iowa. Don’t you worry, I’ll get there. Just remember that no matter what, it’s not about me. It’s about the world that is out there to love.
There are 194 countries in the world. I will see them all in the next 22,000 or so days.
The pieces of the puzzle are coming together. It’s about time.
(These shoes were designed over a year ago by a close friend, the puzzle piece with the heart is shaped like my home state of Iowa. Home is where the heart is. <3 )