I helped my youngest daughter look for apartments this week. It was difficult. It is always a challenge to watch your child struggle with the decisions of life, but this seemed more difficult than usual. She graduated with her bachelors degree a week ago with the enticing title of a new job. There was excitement...there was laughter...there was fun with family and friends. Then reality hit. Her life would never be the same. She is at the start of a life learning curve.
The world she has known for the past five years is fading. Change is ever present and she can not escape it.
After a morning of apartment hunting, we stopped for lunch at a favorite Mexican restaurant where the magnitude and impact of the decisions at hand fell upon my daughter like the weight of the world. It is scary to change the complete make up of your life. It takes courage to move away from what you have known...from where you are comfortable. But that is how we grow and evolve. It isn't realistic to think that we will move through life without doubt or questions or even regret.
The truth is that we navigate our life with a twinge of fear in our belly...with the questions of inexperience in our minds...and with faith. But if we listen quietly to our inner voice, the fear will diminish as our experience and wisdom builds. Not that the fear isn't present...but we learn that fear must not guide us in our life's decisions. It is usually a hard lesson and most of us must learn it incrementally over time. As George S. Patton once said, "Courage is fear holding on a minute longer."
I am proud of my daughter and I hope she can continue to look for the positive aspects of this phase of her life. For with change comes an incredible opportunity to create the life you desire.
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