The Beginning...

The beginning. Where all new journeys begin. So, I suppose this is one of mine. I have always been one to speak in metaphors. When giving advice, or just talking in general, I find myself more times than not lapsing into verse or metaphor to get my point across. I guess some things are easier explained in such terms. By knowing this, I decided I wanted to use my own specific "language" if you will and put it into writing. I have always been able to explain myself more clearly and eloquently through written word. I don't know if it is because I can visually see what I am saying or if I can take more time to think out what I am going to say as opposed to being in the moment and having to speak candidly. Therefore, here I am, at the beginning of a new blog venture. The reason I am doing this is because I have had things end recently, which as we all know is where new beginnings take place. I have never been one to sit and wallow in the "what could have beens" or "what should have beens". If that was all a person did, they would never really go anywhere. You have to keep going in order to get to where you want to be. Even when you are on a road trip, once you reach your destination, life doesn't just stop there. It just means that leg of your trip is over. You start a new one, in a new place, with new adventures. The past few years I have been trying to find where I belong. Thirty four years old and I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Which, in its own way, has been a journey unto itself. I have worked at a theme park, taught music to kids and became a realtor all in the course of a little over a year. I regret none of the decisions because I have learned a lot about different aspects of life that I never would have otherwise. Each one has been its own experience and I have grown as a person because of them all. I suppose that is what the journey is all about. Learning. Growing. Looking back over my life, I have had many things end. School. Relationships. Jobs. Friendships. Lives of people close to me. Bad habits. Good habits. My way of thinking. But with each, literally every single time I had no idea what the next step would be or how I would go on, I did. I found myself ending at the start of a new beginning. I knew from there I had two choices, as we most often always do; stay where I was or continue moving forward. I would not be where I am today had I stayed put. If I had given up on the hope of a second chance. Everything has a beginning. Your life was the ultimate beginning, from there, it was just a series of starting lines. If you think about it, your race is never really over while you remain alive on this earth. And even after that, you begin a whole new adventure afterward, depending on what you believe. Think of your life as a race. You line up at the starting line, life says "GO!", and you take off running. As fast and as hard as you can. Take new paths. Try new trails. Explore. You may trip along the way, but as long as you get up and keep going, you can still cross the finish line. You may get lost, but that is where you find yourself. People may pass you because they are faster, that doesn't mean you aren't as good, it just means they run the race differently than you do. Never compare yourself to the person in the lane next to you, remember, they are doing the same thing you are doing, trying to make it to their goal. It doesn't matter if you finish first or dead last, what matters is you finish. Just with anything in life. Keep going. Get up. Finish the race. Every day, put on your running shoes and go. Have your goal in mind and run hard and fast toward it. If you fall, pick yourself up. If you are slower one day than others, it's okay. It is at your own pace. You are setting YOUR personal best. Not someone else's. Believe in what you are doing and know your reason. Then get in the race. The beginning is a beautiful place to be because nothing has been determined. It is just starting. You have a whole race ahead of you where anything can happen. If you stay still, nothing will happen. This is your chance. Wake up. Line up. Chin up. On your mark. Get set. GO!