We had our Student Life staff retreat yesterday, the first one we've had since I have worked at LaGrange College. It was a great day full of planning and goal setting, as well as bonding and laughing. I really like our group, we all get along really well and we are great at challenging and supporting each other (and we all know my favorite student development theory is Challenge & Support).
One of our "assignments" for the retreat was to bring an item that had meaning to us, something that our co-workers may not know about us. I had a very hard time picking something, mainly because I'm a pretty open book. But as I was searching for my item, I found two VHS tapes - one was of my VTTV shows that I did as a student reporter while in college and one was of my first special report I recorded, edited, and produced at Virginia Tech.
I have kept these two tapes mostly as a reminder to myself that dreams can and will change (and also for a good laugh every now and then). For the longest time, I wanted to be a news anchor or work for a radio station. That's why I majored in Communication at Virginia Tech, why I got involved with VTTV, and why I spent a summer getting up at 3:00 a.m. everyday to work at a radio station. The summer before my senior year at Tech was when I realized that although I did enjoy everything that I was doing through my major, I did not feel a sense of fulfillment. After having an early quarterlife crisis, I made the decision to further my education at the University of South Carolina and pursue a Master of Education in Higher Education Student Affairs. Although my professional career has had its bumps in the road these past 3 years, I can't really imagine doing anything else.
Pulling out these tapes got me to thinking what my life would be like if things were different and I hadn't decided to pursue a career in student affairs. Who knows where I would be. As I think about if things were different, I have realized that I'm glad I chose the path that I did. I'm also glad to have made that difficult decision to change directions because it is proof that your dreams can and will change, and that is okay. That is part of the excitement of life, fulfilling your dreams and coming up with new ones.
After all, we are not really in control. We like to think so, but God is really the one who knows what He's doing. I have a story that goes to show that we need to let things be and God will take care of us, but that is for another day and time.
As for my future, who knows what's in store. All I can say is that I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. I know there will be bumps in the road, maybe even some potholes, but that's what AAA is for... and God is my AAA.
