My whole life I’ve been a bit of an adventurer. My mom told me that I’m the only child she had to lock the front door with because I would find my way outside, eager to explore this big world. That quickly translated into me growing up a little more and leaving the country for the first time. That lead to a greater hunger for adventure that came with a fear of being stuck in one place. Significance has definitely played a role.
I used to be afraid that my life wouldn’t be something significant or that I wouldn’t live up to the things people expected of me.
I thought that staying in Rochester would make me a failure and that would mean that I somehow missed it. But I’m learning that being content does not mean settling.
For a little while I was afraid to admit that I felt happy or content in my home town. I thought that meant that I was giving up the adventure and the dream. I thought that people would be disappointed. It’s easy to think that whatever we’re doing in the present is what we’ll be stuck in forever. But that’s just not true.
It’s wild when we stop and think about how much time most of us lose wishing that we were somewhere else. If you’re passionate, adventurous, and have any sort of dreams, I think you’ll understand. But I don’t want to waste time. Somewhere along the lines I feel like I grew up and time is starting to fly by faster than it ever has. And I don’t want to waste it wishing for something else. Please, let’s look at our lives and decide what we have to do to get where we want to be and work hard for that, but don’t lose the amazing people and places you have now.
Being content in my hometown for a bit doesn’t mean that I’m settling down or settling for less than. Enjoying the people, restaurants, coffee shops, and familiarity here doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t get up and move somewhere in the near future, but it just means I’m thankful for the life I have. I finally see that my life’s purpose isn’t in all my adventures. It won’t be marked by all the places I’ve lived. My purpose is to know God and that stays the same no matter where I am and what season of life that I am in.
I don’t really have anything super in depth to say. I know a lot of this is a bit cliche. All I’m really trying to say is enjoy this life you have. Be thankful for little moments. Be a tourist in your city and go to all the restaurants and cafes. Meet all the people you can. And don’t stress about what the adventure is going to look like. It’s all going to work out into a great one anyway that will probably bring you somewhere different than you planned.