Don't Stumble Over The Past

The past is in the past; I've always been a firm believer of that. Although we must use the past to improve our future, we must remember not to stumble on it, or allow the past to bring us down. This is something that has been brought to my attention more and more lately.
In the first few months in college while meeting new people and sharing your story, there's a common routine of the questions exchanged. A typical conversation looks something like this.

Stranger: "So what are you majoring in?"
Me: "Physics, Atmospheric Science and minoring in Russian Studies."
Stranger:  "Oh wow... what do you plan on doing with that?"
Me: "[Enter story about wanting to be an astronaut, but set on being a diplomat now]"
Stranger: "Well good luck!", OR, "Huh, interesting..."

Having to encounter a constant reminder of my education every day, I can't help but to reconsider my past. It isn't a secret to anyone that the USAFA(Air Force Academy) was where I was headed until I chose not to attend due to naive reasons (never let another individual influence your decision when it comes to school!) Some may say that this mistake of not going to the Academy has to be my biggest "regret", while I correct them and say it's possibly one of the most important "lessons" that I've learned.

Mistakes. We all make these. However, none us have mistakes. "Mistake" is a simple word that carries a complex meaning. Whether or not you define a mistake as a "regret" or a "lesson learned", it's what separates those who still live in the past and those who go far in life.

If I moped around and allowed my mistake at the time to be a regret today, I wouldn't be experiencing college at all, I wouldn't be meeting the people I am, and I wouldn't have any motivation to move forward with my goals.Sure, it's easy to just lament the days where you thought everything was going perfect for you, but you must remember that we live a life... Life is full of regrets and lessons learned. Why have more regrets than lessons learned?

Having the attitude and realization that mistakes are nothing but lessons learned, allow us to move forward and to be motivated to move forward; whereas those who choose to declare mistakes as regrets catch themselves in holes that were dug behind them.

We're in college. We're here to be thinking about our future, to be doing for our future, and simply to be enjoying the present. I'm not sure what you experienced at your orientation for college, but my future was stressed. Nothing was mentioned of my past. The only significant importance that affected my college experience thus far would be my acceptance to college. And that should be the only significant importance. (*May it not be forgotten that your past mistakes also define said lessons learned. These are also very significant for our college experience, as we learn to grow and to become wiser, and not to make the same dumb, naive, and reckless mistakes.)

Moving forward. Pursuing our passion. That's why we're here at college.
Asking "what if". Lamenting the old days. That's why people get off track.


It's simple guys. Make the best of your situation. The past is in the past; don't allow old holes that were dug catch you in a trap on your path to your goals. Holes in paths always have enough space on the trail to guide right around it. We can't stumble over our past, because when we do, the path you were following tends to get more narrow, thus ridding of much guidance around the holes that were dug in our past and getting stuck.

If life were a forest, metaphorically, I'd aim to get to the edge to see what's out there for me. What would you do? 

Make Like A Chameleon

I've always admired the camouflage techniques of chameleons; being able to blend and become one with their surroundings. If a chameleon is in a tree, they're going to mimic browns and greens... I'm pretty sure they're not going to turn bright yellows or oranges; this would do more harm than justice. Provided, they do change their colors in order to survive in the wild, however, it's really quite simple-- they become what they're surrounded by in order to ensure a better a tomorrow. This is easily comparable to who we are as individuals. We've all heard the saying, "you are who you surround yourself with", and this couldn't be more true-- especially in college. 

For the first few months in college, I was hanging out with so many different people--all different values. Provided, I didn't agree with most of their morals and values, but I didn't think it'd affect mine (besides, I'm a strong individual). With that being said, stepping back from the situation I was able to realize that morals that once were utterly important to me, I granted exceptions and tolerated the atmosphere I was in... Was I weak, or was I strong? Regardless, my morals were no longer where I wanted them to be, and I wasn't en route to the person that I aspired to be. 

There are so many influences in college that weren't as evident as in high school (even if they were there), and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't intimidated. It's easier to just fall culprit to alcohol, partying to party (not to socialize), and other such habits, than it is to politely say no thanks. Sure, it's college, and it may seem all fine and dandy, however, what about later down the road? Yes, I understand that "YOLO" is the motto, but in actuality, our choices and our affiliations are going to stick with us; it defines our personal history. It's easier said than done if you're used to living a carefree life style, but it's really important to think about your future. Being in college, we're a few years shy of our future and potential careers, and it's especially important to me that I don't start slacking off now. 

Although we aspire for the future, we can't neglect the present. 

It's crunch time people. We're developing into the individuals we want && choose to be. Why allow influences now to set us off track? Being in college already puts you a few steps ahead of others; and getting that degree would be quite the accomplishment. In order to successfully accomplish that goal, we need to surround ourselves with others that share the same goals, morals and values. It may have taken me longer than I wanted, but I realized that if you don't spend time with people with the same values, it's easy to stray away from your morals, values, and of course goals.

Like the chameleon, we all want to ensure we have a better tomorrow and not throw all of our hard work away. And like the chameleon, what keeps us from achieving a better tomorrow is our environment. We must remember to surround ourselves with those who are going to support us, share the same values and morals, and remind us that we are going to reach those goals. They weren't lying when they said you become who you surround yourself; do you want to be someone surrounded by others with completely different values than you, or someone surrounded by others who share the same values as you and encourage personal growth? As always, the choice is yours. 

The Unwanted Love-Bug

It was Friday night, and my friends all wanted to go out as a group to go get dinner and a movie to explore Louisville outside of it's University campus. That's all fine and dandy, but of us four girls, three had boyfriends.

Guess who was the lucky 7th wheel? 

Now, I'm not going to complain about that evening as I picked up a "date" of my great guy friend who lives down the hall. So really, I wasn't the 7th wheel that night, however, it doesn't mean I wasn't the odd man out prior outings before. I'd like to think that all of us have experienced being the odd man out, although I know there are individuals whom are constantly dating and have a significant other. Those who are dating, they seem as if they came out of a romance movie that won 5 different Emmy awards; constantly looking into each others eyes, holding hands in public, the man is a gentlemen, and seemingly, they're the happiest people in the world... This may be fine and true, however, why worry about it?

I'll be the first to admit that for quite some time after being at college, I questioned why I was single and why everybody else seemed so happy. After going on some dates with lovely freshman college students(some flukes, some OK), it didn't take long for me to realize what the answers were. Why am I single? My friends like to joke around (so I think) that I'm single because I'm "picky". This may be true, but you can never be too picky about finding a significant other. This isn't the realization I had though.

They say you change the most when you're in college and discover your true passions and colors. And that's just it. I'm still discovering who I am, what values are most important to me, and who I aspire to be some day. If I were to suddenly spend majority of my free time during this crucial development period on some stranger in hopes of getting to know them, I'd become side-tracked and influenced away (or sometimes even towards) from getting to know myself. Sometimes, it's more than OK to put yourself first.

Worry about finding yourself first before worrying about finding somebody else. If not, you're view on relationships is simply warped.

Why do those in relationships seem so happy? Originally, I really wanted to analyze the possibilities; however, it became apparent of the real answer. I was looking at everybody in relationships through rose-colored glasses. It was all about perspective. Because I hadn't accepted that it's OK to be single, my view on those in relationships, was in fact warped.. That was exactly the point; they just seemed happy in my perspective--rose-colored glasses. 

Don't fill your head with thoughts, questioning when the love-bug will hit you next. When you're wanting a significant other, that's when you'll settle for someone. 

The worlds best treasures are found when we aren't looking for them. 

Their Ripples Redirected Their Path

Coming from a military background, goals have always been a necessity in order to pursue life. Since I was about 9 years old, I aspired for nothing less than what other 9 year olds' wanted-- I aspired to be an astronaut. Cliche, right? I wanted to be the first person on Mars! A girl can dream big.

I've always had a passion for the space program, astronomy, and mystery. However, with the cancellation of the Constellation Program (despite the promises of funding the space program under a certain presidents campaign platform) I had to tweak the path I'm going to follow when I get older. Now, I aspire to become a diplomat for Space Relations in Washington D.C. (or where ever they put me), in order to continue working in an area of my passion. Currently, I'm studying Physics [with a concentration in Astrophysics], Atmospheric Science, and a minor in Russian Language. . .

"...it's in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It's by the nature of his deep inner soul... we're required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream." 
-Neil Armstrong

College; a place of study while learning valuable life lessons. Well, at least this is how I'd define it. I've been a college student for over two months now, and I'd be the first to admit not only my changes, but as well as these realizations.

Now that I'm away from home, attending college, I'm attempting to balance a crazy college students' schedule. Being apart of Civil Air Patrol, I needed to go to a local meeting in order to stay true to the cadet oath. Anyways, I found a local meeting spot, went there according to where I was directed by my tomtom, and parked my car. Having arrived early, I decided that I needed to become familiar with my surroundings. Down the road, there was a lovely park; nothing fancy or snazzy about it--just a simple park on the outskirts of Louisville, KY. 

As I'm taking in the refreshing breath of fresh air (literally), I just was wanting to relax. I was having technical difficulties with my cellular device, so no distractions were available to me as I had this golden opportunity of allowing my mind to ponder many subjects, without the reminder in my back pocket every few minutes, of somebody wanting to exchange ideas with me. Regardless, I took the battery out of my phone, put it in my pocket, and enjoyed my surroundings.

I hiked around a bit, admiring the trails that weren't littered by daily encounters. At the end of the trail, with approximately 20 minutes until I had to be at my meeting, there was a pond. At first, I just saw the ducks and thought, "oh, that's a cute family of ducks". As I was beginning to get up and walk away from this pond without actually having any actual deep-thought, a fish jumped out of the water to eat a water bug. Sure, it's an act of nature, but it got my gears going. As I was analyzing what was really going on at the pond, I couldn't help but to make connections. 

The ducks were just floating around in the pond; some baby ducks would act more swiftly than others, while the rest went with the flow.
The fish beneath the surface were following the trails of water-bugs to fulfill their daily meals. 
The water-bugs, well, I only noticed them as the center of all the commotion in the water--or rather, the center of majority of the ripples in the pond. 

As the water-bugs were doing their thing, floating about, I realized that they became the sparkle in the ducks eyes', and quite possibly the fish' as well (the water was rather murky). As the ducks pursued these water-bugs, I couldn't help but notice that some of the baby ducks haven't quite learned how to successfully get their dinner for that night... Some baby ducks, as soon as they spotted the water-bugs, they acted rashly and dashed towards them in hope of success. Sadly though, the ducks' disturbance was too much that wouldn't allow them to fulfill their hunger. On the other hand, the other baby ducks, that seemingly already learned the correct way, would go with the flow in the pond and didn't act so swiftly... these baby ducks, they got their fulfillment of water-bugs that evening. 

This simple observation, I couldn't help but make the connection to life itself. Those water-bugs were the goals of these ducks. Those who chose to act swiftly, didn't quite accomplish their goal (getting that delicious water-bug), and those who went with the flow in the pond and didn't act hastily, those were the ones who got to their goal.

Those who did act swiftly, their ripples that they left in the water with each rapid movement, redirected from their goal--the path wasn't direct to the water-bug any longer... the ducks were no longer in a direct path to their goals; their rapid/swift decisions put them off track.

With that being said, I couldn't help but have the realization that... 

Our goals are the center of the ripples we call "life". As you move quickly towards your goal, you disturb more ripples than you would if you just went with the flow. Abrupt movements misguide the ripples, and set you off path.

Everything worth accomplishing takes time; don't act with rash decisions in order to take a short-cut; fulfill everything full spirited and with passion :)