Have you ever felt stuck? So stuck in place that no matter what you do, all your efforts cannot help change your great amount of stuck-ness? I am stuck – stuck on a path that hopefully leads to somewhere that is less sticky. If you've ever been in a party house during daylight hours, you know that I mean. My life is both physically and metaphorically sticky.
One of the most popular questions people in their late teens and early adulthood hear the most is "What do you want to be when you grow up?" We know what you all want to hear: "I'm going to school for _____, so obviously I'm going to do that."
False.
We don't want to do that. If anyone could choose anything, we'd most likely choose something else.
I want to do yoga on a beach every morning, adopt 12 dogs, eat only from farmers markets and somehow still manage to travel the world.
However, when I answer that famous question, I always reply with, "Wherever the wind takes me." This is mostly for insurance purposes, as younger me answered with ludicrous ideals such as a dentist or US President. Not that those aren't something to strive for, they just aren't for me. Just like I know my parents won't appreciate that I aspire to be a homeless, dog-hoarding beach bum. I have real aspirations. One current goal is getting a full night's rest and still managing to wake up on time. That goal has been hopelessly unattainable in previous years, but I am working on it.
So here is where I am stuck. I am in college surrounded by wonderful people with amazing goals and abilities, future leaders of our world and loving parents to next generations. I meet amazing people every day, and they all get caught up in the same routine. Study hard, play harder. Now, it is no surprise that the US is one of the binge-drinking capitals of the world; we have no traditions like small glasses of wine with food to enhance the experience of the meal. We have a culture of partying and throwing up.
The US is not the only country that glorifies alcohol consumption, though: Hostels and tourist towns all over the world propagate drinking as a way to entice travelers and erase the language or social barriers among guests. Since one of my main goals of not being stuck is to travel, I do not plan to spend a vast majority of it drinking and dancing the night away – I can do that at home with people who will keep me safe, and take proper care of me.
So, I am still stuck on a path of higher education and trying to find that gust of wind to take me away and set me down somewhere I can be happy and useful. I am not going to waste my time on nights I won't be able to remember the next day. In order to be carried away on the wind, I need to have great wings, wings made of talents and skills you can't get from any ordinary college degree. I will have strong wings made up of even stronger memories and experiences. No matter how stuck on chasing that big dream you may be, you are never too stuck to work on the little things in life. Chase a small dream, become a certified yoga instructor, find a job that allows you to learn a new skill, spend a day with your friends attending a workshop or seminar.
There is so much in life we have yet to experience, and why not try to get that full nights rest instead of going out for the night? Wake up early and show the world its stickiness is only temporary.
