Life’s Map
Monday, July 19th, 2010Have you ever stopped and thought about how great it is that life doesn’t turn out the way you want?
My senior year of high school, I applied and was accepted to Southern Missouri University in Cape Girardeau. I went down with my parents for an orientation and even signed up for classes to take the following fall. But it would have been a two hour drive from St. Louis and my then boyfriend, who was a year younger then me, was heartbroken. So I chose puppy love over a four year university and decided to go to the local community college the first two years. Thankfully I liked that guy enough to stay home which leads me to where I am today. With Frank. With Mary Rene. With our soon-to-be Sweet Pea.
After completing my two years at the community college, I was offered a scholarship to Missouri Western University. Not only did the university offer to pay two full years of tuition, but they also were going to pay me $500 a month for living expenses. Along with this offer came the job to be editor of their newspaper. Sweet deal for a college student. But again, the school was far away and my then boyfriend, different guy, didn’t want me to leave. So I chose puppy love, again over education and decided to go to a four year university closer to home. No scholarship. No living expense stipend. Nothing at all but puppy love. Thankfully I liked that guy enough to stay closer to home which leads me to where I am today. With Frank. With Mary Rene. With our soon-to-be Sweet Pea.
I gave up my passion of journalism and public relations for two boys at different points in my life. (Somehow I ended up in commercial real estate????) I thank God for those silly boys that helped me make those decisions, which at the time killed me academically and eventually killed my career choices. But I am thankful for those decisions.
Which lead me to Frank, Mary Rene, and Sweet Pea.
I love how everything works out the way it should. Nine out of 10 times, you wouldn’t realize why something happened at the given time. But later on, you’ll look back, and you’ll be thankful for the choices you made. A choice that at the time you thought was really stupid, a choice that even a year later you thought was stupid (especially after the break up!) But a choice, once everything is settled, you’ll be thankful you made.
I’m thankful for all the bad choices I made in my life. Every wrong turn ended up making a right turn somewhere along the way. I’ve learned from the mistakes I’ve made, tried not to make them again, even though I have time and time again, but I’ve taking my errors and turned them into principles I can apply in life.
I don’t have any regrets; none at all. And I’ve done some terrible things, I’m sure of it. But all the ugly in my life has led me to here, sitting at my dining room table, listening to Sophie B snore while Mary Rene naps in the other room.
I didn’t become a world famous journalist like I wanted to as a young adult. I’m sure that has to do with the choices I made when it came to puppy love. But I’ve become something better than famous, I’ve become me. And honestly, I love who I have become because I’m surrounded by such great people that make my life fulfilling. More fulfilling then any New York Times Bestseller could do.
Cheers to making bad decisions, learning from them, and becoming the person you are today.







































