Why now?

Currently Listening to: “Colder Arms” by Mumford & Sons

I’m at the airport now and I am still completely dumbfounded as to how this day snuck up on me. I’ve spent the summer counting down the months, then the weeks, then the days and even the hours with my friend in Sydney, yet I still woke up in a state of denial disbelief.

View of a plane waiting to take off from LAX

The ride to this day has not been as easy as some may think. I will admit, I have had a great life. I am the product of sacrifices and decisions made by my parents. They worked their butts off to allow me the opportunities to make my own decisions. I have had the luxury in life to rarely ever have to do something out of circumstance. I am lucky enough to have been able to decide on how my life continues.

The past 6 months have been a roller coaster. My parents were beyond loving and supportive and were the ones to realize that I needed to make a drastic change in my life. In their eyes it was now or never, so I quit Old Navy. I struggled through 6 weeks of unemployment. While many think it’s a fantastic thing to be unemployed, most forget that we live in a society that identifies people for what they do for a living, not what they bring to the table as human beings. Those 6 weeks were rough, but well rewarded with a position at a nonprofit in the City for the summer.

Now after a summer of learning that my life will be defined by what I decide it will be divided by, I’ve chosen to make it defined by my life outside of work. I want it to be made out by the experiences I have meeting other people from different cultures. I want to look back on my life later and know I took advantage of the life my parents worked so hard to give me.

I’m off to Australia and then back to Southeast Asia. I’ll have to learn that not having a plan can be the best plan. I’ll have to get out of my comfort zone and I’ll make plenty of friends along the way. If I don’t do it now, when will I ever get a chance to do it?