9 More Days

In 9 days (not including today) I will celebrate my 25th birthday. I cannot deny that things have changed a lot since I was a kid. I think people view me a lot differently now than they used to.

Looking back on years past, I have to wonder if people from my past would still recognize me today without a photo. Even more dangerous, would I still be the exact same person they had known? I hope not - balance is too important to forego.

I have been thinking a great deal about how things have changed in the world around me throughout my life. The White House has changed hands 5 times. I have survived five years of the 80s hairstyles, followed by 90s fashion statements. In all this time, too much has affected or changed me in one way or another to recount all of the important events or the moments in between. This is just one of many reasons why choosing one's own path in life - deciding who or what they will be - is so important. We forget too easily and too quickly in the midst of the ebb and flow of life.

It is so difficult to figure out where to go in life these days. We have all sorts of options, and for those who are not well-grounded in themselves, it is even more challenging to keep from fading into the background. Different people have various ideas of what constitutes success, therefore, we are shoved from one direction to another. Each person must stand firm on their own beliefs and feelings - lest they lose themselves.

As for me, I have opted to remain as I am, and to be the best that I can be. The standard I was asaked to live up to within my parents' home was simply, my dad's deep baritone asking, Bug, did you do your best?" And honestly, I think that's all that anyone can do. We simply have to find what our personal 'best' is. That is all that anyone dare ask for.