As we move through our lives, we sometimes for- get what got us to where we were going. We often move the training, learning, and experiences that shaped us to the back of our minds as we live in the moment and look toward the future. It is not that we don’t appreciate what we went through, but we move on.
In the process of sending my own kids to col- lege, their milestone triggered my nostalgia, and the highlights of my own journey re- turned. It is not the idea of reliving my “glory days,” but the realization of how far I’ve come.
I think about educational experiences, life experiences, tests in classes and in life, and many other encounters, challenges, wins, and losses that I’ve experienced. While it is an oversimplification to say that I am not the same person I was 5, 10, or 20 years ago, it is not an oversimplification to say that I could not have imagined the person I have become. It is not about success or failure, because those are relative terms. It is about bearing witness to the fact that the decisions we make lead us down a path with many divergent routes, to the point where we cannot ultimately predict where we end up in life.
The Unpredictable Path of Life
Nobody can perfectly plan their journey or predict all the twists and turns. Furthermore, in the end, the goal may have shifted. As I try to appreciate this process, I am reminded of the old adage: “It is the journey and not the destination.” However, when we are in the moment, we are drawn into the experience at that time; we may not appreciate what got us there and may focus too much on our final stop. As I watch my kids wonder how they are going to keep up with all of the homework and tests, socialize in a new environment, take more ownership of themselves, and do their own laundry, I reflect on that period of my own life. I know that my kids will learn and grow to master the challenges they face and will look back to ponder on why they were so stressed or concerned at the time. I remember my own concerns back then and see how far I’ve come to do things that I never could have imagined, such as sending my own kids to college.
