This time of year is so strange to me. While some of us consider the celebration of the New Year as just another day, others use it as a chance for a fresh start, a clean slate, a new beginning. We spend the 6 days between Christmas and New Years Eve in a cloud of our own retrospect, thinking about what we’ve accomplished or what we haven’t. Then, bam! New Year’s Day hits and it’s time for resolutions…and maybe a Bloody Mary. Nonetheless, it’s forward thinking only; positive vibes and all that jazz.
But not everyone has a clear path on the first of January. This time of year opens a lot of questions for us. Am I where I want to be? Is this what I want to be doing with my life? Some of us are standing at a crossroads.
Maybe this is just the way I live life, but I personally don’t see being stopped at a crossroads as a bad thing at all. I feel that being at a crossroads is a blessing, because you have options in front of you. You are blessed with a choice in what you’d like to be -or do- in life. You see the options, and you know that you have the power to change them. You have direction in your life because you’re taking the time to think about where you are and where you’d like to be.
I myself am not quite yet at a crossroads, but I can see one in the horizon and it’s quickly approaching. I only have one more semester of school left (for the second time around). I know I’m ready to move somewhere new, step out of the comfort zone I’ve created for myself here and get as much experience and practice as I can. It’s just a matter of when and where.
A few years ago, my mom wrote an article about new years resolutions. She decided that rather than make a list of different resolutions she would choose one word that sort of encompasses all of her goals and hopes for the New Year. I have, since then, adopted that same tradition. My word for this year is direction. Reading back this morning, I saw that my very first blog post on here had much of the same content. I talked about being at a turning point in my life. I think at my age, there are quite a few turns yet to be taken, but as long as I have at least some semblance of direction -the sort of “fake it ’til you make it” mentality- I feel confident in where I am headed.
In its physical and literal form, no matter what road you stand on at a crossroads, you still have three options in your line of sight. Go left, go right, or keep going in the same direction if that seems like it’s working for you but whatever you do, don’t turn around. You’ve come to this point because you’ve worked hard to get here, you’ve overcome obstacles; maybe you’ve dropped someone off or picked up a few more passengers along the ride. Things change along the way but all of these elements are important. Life is about the journey. So, whether it’s New Year’s day or Independence Day, if you find yourself at a crossroads, be thankful that you’re at least moving forward.
Love and Light,
Lauren Elizabeth
