You can't speed
up a sunset.
It's been a
crazy first third of 2013. On January 1,
I asked my girlfriend, Kailee Smith, to marry me. I'm in the process of writing my memoir. Three weeks ago, I spoke to a group of 140
communication students at the University of Central Florida Comm Day. A couple of days ago I filled out the annual
report for Sight Unseen Inc. This week I
graduate from the University of Central Florida with a B.A. in Communication. I'm in the midst of applying for a graduate
program in nonprofit management. I'm restless
and want to start making money so I can support my future wife. I want to get out west and climb a couple
mountains. My future father-in-law and I
are planning to canoe the Suwannee River in July...
Needless to say,
I've had a lot whirling through my mind the last few days.
There're a lot
of times where I do feel overwhelmed and I feel the pressure. Kailee's been a constant source of support
and encouragement telling me to be patient and that everything will work out.
The other
morning I remembered something that Mike McDonald, director of Sanborn Western
Camps, said while I was working there two summers ago. We were all sitting on the top of a rise
known as Little Blue. We were watching
the sunset. Mike said, "You can't
speed up a sunset."
Thinking about
it more than two years later I realize that watching a sunset is a lot like
watching life. We can prepare and ready
ourselves for the future, but we can't speed it up and get there by taking
shortcuts. Just as my old chemistry
teacher, Mr. Sciullo, used to say
"There's no path of least resistance."
During my talk
to my fellow communication students I gave the advice to enjoy the journey of
our lives. I said that college isn't a
destination, but a stop on our journey through life.
For the last few
weeks and months, I've been worried about what I'm going to do, how I'm going
to support myself, my future wife and our future family. I guess I just need to take some of my own
advice and enjoy the journey. We all
need to remember that "You can't speed up a sunset." So let’s enjoy
and celebrate this time we have.