When I look back on my life, I am amazed at how the events of our lives work out. As much as we are in charge of our own destiny, we never really have full control over anything besides the fact that we can filter out something good out of every event that transpires. What we learn, who we become, how we react to the unexpected, how we carry ourselves in both victory and defeat, all contribute to the very next moments of your life.
As Steve Jobs once said, life is a series of interconnected dots. I sit here in Coffee Bean just feeling... connected to it all. It's these brief moments of epiphany that keep me going: the continuum of events contains hope and opportunity if you just re-adjust your focus and perspective. There are many dots in my past I've yet to connect. I feel like I've only just begun to extract the hidden meanings behind everything I've done in classrooms, on sportsgrounds, in the places I've traveled, and in the labyrinthine corners of my mind and emotions. I've only been to a few places around the world: California and a number of other states, Hong Kong, China (Habitat for Humanity), Thailand (Phuket on a budget), the Philippines (blog recap coming soon)... by no means am I well-traveled, but I do say now that I am prepared for the new places I'll go. The Bay Area (California) is my next destination. The plan after that's Chicago with a few volunteer trips to SEA or wherever I'm compelled to go in between. The challenges forthcoming? Refining what I want out of my career, finding a good job, paying student loans, getting my credit score up, finding the time to "give back, deepening a relationship with God, and further down the road: personal ventures like getting married, having pets, and starting a family.
Along the way, I might continue to struggle with loving and respecting myself but I approach this new day with confidence and a better sense of who I'd like to become. Every day, I am learning how to be a thinker, a lover, a friend, a Christian, and a proponent for change in society. It's not every day I strive to be my best self. Most of the time, I just make it up as I go. But, here we go, loves. I am a cartographer.
'Life has been a trip into the milky way. I've encountered so many stars and myriad blessings from people that have cared about me. Even though I'm pretty bad at keeping in close contact with people, I know that no matter how far I've traveled from them, they will always be shining stars in my galaxy. Even the gifts of random strangers still twinkle with a strange, iridescent glow against the darkness.' The landscape of my own personal milky way is so insanely rich that I'm compelled to believe that God works out all things for good. (An edited version of my thoughts in November 2011)
