Though I didn't know it when I was 15, 16, or even 17, I have finally come to realize that my dad is one very wise man (well I guess I've always known, I just never wanted to admit it...sorry haha).
I kid you not, he is always right.. about everything. When I was younger it was quite annoying but honestly, having him to counsel me (even when I didn't want to hear that whatever I was doing was wrong) has been one in the greatest blessings of my life. I couldn't have asked for a better father.
The thing is, I am guilty of always wanting instant solutions. I want clarity. I could do without the doubts, the insecurities and the uncertainty. It's been my dad---and my mom as well, I can't forget or disregard the truly amazing things she has done for me---and his witty quotes that brought me back down to reality when I was clearly up in the clouds about life.
. . . . .
I seek clarity. I like to know what I'm suppose to do, how I'm suppose to do it, when and why. I think that's why change has always been a tough one for me to wrap my head around. For quite some time now I have been on this rollercoaster of trying to attain this sense of fullness, whatever that may be, as though it was as simple as solving an equation--I guess thats a bad example, considering the fact that I'm rather awful at math so solving equations is quite the challenge for me, whoops! Any who, it was in talking to my dad a while back that I realized that I have been feeding a vicious cycle of trying to speed up the process of growing up, in order to attain that sense of fullness.
"Just be happy where you are right now, Nicole. Enjoy your time now."
I've always hated being told not do something or to slow down in life but in pondering the conversations I've been able to have with my parents, I've realize it is SO crucial that we slow down and enjoy were we are now. Specially since we live in a world that praises others for filled up planners and always being on the go. Life, after all, is meant to be enjoyed, not endured, and certainly not spent trying to speed up the process of growing up like I had been doing.
"Be Still for the Lord is on Thy Side"
I love that hymn. I love knowing that God cares for each and everyone of us. I like to think that He smiles down from Heaven when He sees us just stop and enjoy the moment of life, the joy of being alive. I mean in the reality of it all, life is more than exams, and working, and making sure that you're not losing followers on social media.
My dad has always told me "Every morning you wake up you have two choices. You can choose to be happy and enjoy the day you've been given or you can choose to be miserable."
Like my dad, I choose to be happy and after a while of being on the road of unclarity I am also choosing to enjoy the now. I am choosing to stop trying to speed up the process of growing-up. I mean I only have about a month left of being 19....yikes.
Side Note: The photos are of my dad showing me how to once again shoot a gun and the truly wonderful parents I've been blessed with.
