The other day I went over to a house, which I consider a home, in Curtis with people I feel are my family. The Wetzels were the first couple I met in Curtis while I was flying back and forth from Dallas when my boss and I were trying to do business from afar. Instead of staying at the local hotel, George insisted I stay with the Wetzels to feel more welcomed and a part of the community while I was visiting. Maybe he had some sort of intuition knowing I’d end up moving to this tiny American rural and dying town.
The Wetzels knew George when they went to the agriculture high school together back in the early 1950s, which is now a University of Nebraska branch campus. The Wetzels’ kind hearts reeled George in and gave him a place to share and relax without worrying about being politically correct. They have been a godsend as they’ve continued that with me. I always know I’ll get a warm welcome and hugs all around when I visit. The Wetzels are truly the most genuine, kind, and loving people I’ve met here, and honestly don’t know if my sanity level would be the same without them.
Anyway, I went to visit them as I hadn’t in a really long time. We made coffee and sat around the table to catch up. We talked about what had been going on in their lives, the news of the town, along with everything I had been up to. The Miss America pageant was quite a topic, how George and his wife were doing, local drama of the ag college, what they’d been up to, jigsaw puzzles lol (we all don’t have the patience for them but neighbors insist they do them), when I leave for school, what I’d be studying, if I’d still work for George... the list goes on.
As far as still working for George, I think it’s time to move on with my life. I would never go back and work in the main office due to its location and coworker conflicts that I’ve previously blogged about. Lately, I’ve kept new ideas and innovations to myself because I know he’s extremely busy in Washington and all he wants to do is get out of it all. Having any kind of ties to Nebraska or any new endeavor just adds to his ever aging stress levels, that in turn make me worry that much more about him. I also know he’s aging and getting to the point where he just needs and wants to focus on the things that are important to him, rather than new ventures.
I left the main office devastated by someone’s jealousy, immature tendencies, and unprofessional work ethics. However, before I came to that breaking point, George and I were a team no one could emulate. He had dreams and I executed them. We were quite the unstoppable, dynamic duo and he had nothing but the greatest respect for me. Now that I’m in Nebraska with no possible way to produce such results in the negative, tainted environment, I feel like I have let him down. He doesn’t seem as jazzed as before, but that’s also probably because the dreams we had were stopped due to that environment I was talking about. I know that’s more of a personal assessment because he still can’t say enough good things about me to new people we meet, but I miss the environment of projects and potential.
When we first visited, it was red carpets and respect all around. Once I moved here, the fairy tale, honeymoon was over and reality stepped in. It’s unfortunate that the puzzle pieces didn’t fit together, but there have been too many odd pieces that just can’t work together.
I want to get out of the middle of the drama and go forth with new endeavors. I think it’s time, but I also think it’s the smartest thing to do. It’s easy to be comfortable and not take chances, but sometimes those chances are what make us who we are. Those chances create new opportunities we never could have imagined. Taking chances may also take us down the path of failure, but that failure creates a new spark in us and a respect for the process that we wouldn’t have otherwise understood. So really, why hesitate? It only makes us more versatile.
Anyway, the moral of the story is that my time is now. Time to focus on what I want to do with my life. I’ve helped a man live his dreams as much as I’ve been able to, but it’s time I create and live my own.
How about you? If you’ve had dreams, but never pursued them, your time is now. Why wait? Your inevitable time here to make a difference could be whisked away at any moment. Stop making excuses for yourself. It’s not who we are in the end. It’s whether we’ve made a difference. The spectrum of difference is relative, but even if you’ve made a difference in one person’s life, they’ll continue the trend. It’s so worth it.
Go boldly challenge status quo!
Very nice Britni! I enjoyed reading it and feel the same way in some aspects. Although I haven't known you long I feel like the college will be losing a good asset when you leave, but completely agree with following your own dreams.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, my Alaskan internship was a huge dream of mine. I had it set in my mind ever since my 2nd year here at NCTA and no one believed me or just said "good luck" which sounded like "nice goal, but I doubt it"... maybe you have heard something similar before. Now that I accomplished that goal my next "good luck" goal is rescuing and rehabilitating sea life.
I'm psyched to see where my career goes. I wish you the best of luck on your new ventures!
Aaron, for me, I almost love it when people doubt I can accomplish something. It burns a fire that is unstoppable and I usually blow people out of the water. Of course it's nice when people believe you, but not giving up when there's doubt is all that matters.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you went after your dreams, and like you said, we haven't known each other long, you have quite the head on your shoulders too. I know you'll do very well in life doing exactly what you love. Don't ever hesitate. Rush towards your goals!