Saturday, January 30, 2010
PARTY TIME!! :-)
It is Saturday, which means it's my the day of my Farewell Party!! I can't wait to see everyone! I have some friends coming that I havent seen in years. This is going to be a wonderful day!! :-)
Friday, January 29, 2010
More than a little bit about me...
“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.”
I’m finally living the life and dream I planned on, here’s my story…
Most people have no idea what they want to do in life; my problem has always been wanting to do too many things with too little time. At the tender age of thirteen I knew pretty much exactly where I wanted to go… Upon high school graduation I planned on going to college to pursuing a bachelors degree in elementary education and theatre, then serve somewhere in Africa working with children, come back to the US to teach, then hopefully find the love of my life to settle down with and start a family. Most teenagers don’t have a clue on their weekend plans let alone life after high school, and here I am with my life completely figured out before hitting puberty…
Two years later in 9th grade my life outline became even more refined. While learning about the 1960’s and JFK I read about an incredible organization he started called the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps is a federal government agency dedicated to working with developing countries while also promoting world peace through love and friendship. I fell in love with the concept, the mission, and the idea of serving in a third world country for my country, the greater good, and for God. I knew in my heart it was something I had to do. From there on I had a clear vision where my life would go.
In the spring of 2007 I graduated from a small liberal arts college with my BA in elementary education, early childhood education, and theatre, just as I planned… but unlike my outline I was not joining the Peace Corps. The summer before my senior year of college I fell head over heels in love for the first time with this wonderful and incredibly sweet guy. Although we began thinking about planning a future together I still planned on going through with my dream of joining the Peace Corps following graduation. Long story short, he wasn’t too keen on the idea of me leaving for two years (surprise, surprise), which I can’t blame him or some others who were not completely thrilled on the idea. By the end of my senior year I gave my dream up. I then went on to teach at a preschool and although I loved it, it wasn’t where I wanted to be. For the first time in my life I became miserable and very, very lost. I had everything I could want… an education, a job, a supportive family, amazing friends, and a man who loved me… but I had no direction anymore… no drive… I loved everyone in my life and I knew how fortunate I was, but I hated how lost and empty I felt…
After two years out of college and A LOT of soul searching I went back to my original plan… Peace Corps. It’s what I wanted all along. It’s something I’ve wanted for over 10 years now. It’s something I have to do. I need to do... I must. I finally got my act in gear, sent my application in, and waited for my interview. The overwhelming sensation of joy just by completing my application, having the most exhilarating two hour interview in New York City, and finally getting my invitation to serve… ::hopeful sigh:: I know this is where I need to be. It feels so incredible to want something so much… so badly… and know it’s within your grasp and it is finally coming true!! I received my assignment to serve in Uganda where I will be a primary teacher trainer and hope to work in many areas of community development. I leave in 11 days for staging in Philly, then we drive to JFK to fly out of for a 16-hour flight to South Africa, and then another 4-hour flight to Uganda, my new home.
At this point, even if my experience is horrible it will be better than staying here never knowing and always longing for the experience wishing I had gone. In life, you must make sacrifices but I hope to never live with regrets. Luckily for me, I can still pursue my dream even with sacrificing it the first time around. Although I wish I joined right after college instead of “wasting” two years of my life, I can’t say that I regret that time either. I learned many lessons, met some incredible people, and in the darkness of it all I found myself.
So my advice to anyone with dreams and goals… go through with them! No matter how silly or stupid… no matter who holds you back… even if the person holding you back is yourself. Jump in and don’t be afraid… live your life the way you imagined it… it’s your life, your world, live it the way you want it to be. I leave you with this…
In the words of Wayne Dyer, “You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear. Do it! Develop an appreciation for the present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments. Using them up in any self-defeating ways means you've lost them forever.”
Shine on,
Shannon
P.S.- The day after I completed and sent in my application I saw this billboard
…maybe it was a sign; maybe it was just a coincidence... Either way it made me feel self-assured!
………………………………………………………………………………
*~Some of My Favorite Quotes on Regret~*
“I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through build character, making you a much stronger person.” ~Rita Mero
“I would much rather have regrets about not doing what people said, than regretting not doing what my heart led me to and wondering what life had been like if I'd just been myself.” ~Brittany Renée
“If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.” ~Mercedes Lackey
“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.” ~Sydney Smith
“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” ~Alexander Graham Bell
“Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience.” ~Victoria Holt
“If we spend our time with regrets over yesterday, and worries over what might happen tomorrow, we have no today in which to live.”
“Regret is insight that comes a day too late”
“Accept the pain, cherish the joys, resolve the regrets; then can come the best of benedictions - "If I had my life to live over again, I'd do it all the same”
“The follies which a man regrets most in his life, are those which he didn't commit when he had the opportunity.” ~Helen Rowland
I’m finally living the life and dream I planned on, here’s my story…
Most people have no idea what they want to do in life; my problem has always been wanting to do too many things with too little time. At the tender age of thirteen I knew pretty much exactly where I wanted to go… Upon high school graduation I planned on going to college to pursuing a bachelors degree in elementary education and theatre, then serve somewhere in Africa working with children, come back to the US to teach, then hopefully find the love of my life to settle down with and start a family. Most teenagers don’t have a clue on their weekend plans let alone life after high school, and here I am with my life completely figured out before hitting puberty…
Two years later in 9th grade my life outline became even more refined. While learning about the 1960’s and JFK I read about an incredible organization he started called the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps is a federal government agency dedicated to working with developing countries while also promoting world peace through love and friendship. I fell in love with the concept, the mission, and the idea of serving in a third world country for my country, the greater good, and for God. I knew in my heart it was something I had to do. From there on I had a clear vision where my life would go.
In the spring of 2007 I graduated from a small liberal arts college with my BA in elementary education, early childhood education, and theatre, just as I planned… but unlike my outline I was not joining the Peace Corps. The summer before my senior year of college I fell head over heels in love for the first time with this wonderful and incredibly sweet guy. Although we began thinking about planning a future together I still planned on going through with my dream of joining the Peace Corps following graduation. Long story short, he wasn’t too keen on the idea of me leaving for two years (surprise, surprise), which I can’t blame him or some others who were not completely thrilled on the idea. By the end of my senior year I gave my dream up. I then went on to teach at a preschool and although I loved it, it wasn’t where I wanted to be. For the first time in my life I became miserable and very, very lost. I had everything I could want… an education, a job, a supportive family, amazing friends, and a man who loved me… but I had no direction anymore… no drive… I loved everyone in my life and I knew how fortunate I was, but I hated how lost and empty I felt…
After two years out of college and A LOT of soul searching I went back to my original plan… Peace Corps. It’s what I wanted all along. It’s something I’ve wanted for over 10 years now. It’s something I have to do. I need to do... I must. I finally got my act in gear, sent my application in, and waited for my interview. The overwhelming sensation of joy just by completing my application, having the most exhilarating two hour interview in New York City, and finally getting my invitation to serve… ::hopeful sigh:: I know this is where I need to be. It feels so incredible to want something so much… so badly… and know it’s within your grasp and it is finally coming true!! I received my assignment to serve in Uganda where I will be a primary teacher trainer and hope to work in many areas of community development. I leave in 11 days for staging in Philly, then we drive to JFK to fly out of for a 16-hour flight to South Africa, and then another 4-hour flight to Uganda, my new home.
At this point, even if my experience is horrible it will be better than staying here never knowing and always longing for the experience wishing I had gone. In life, you must make sacrifices but I hope to never live with regrets. Luckily for me, I can still pursue my dream even with sacrificing it the first time around. Although I wish I joined right after college instead of “wasting” two years of my life, I can’t say that I regret that time either. I learned many lessons, met some incredible people, and in the darkness of it all I found myself.
So my advice to anyone with dreams and goals… go through with them! No matter how silly or stupid… no matter who holds you back… even if the person holding you back is yourself. Jump in and don’t be afraid… live your life the way you imagined it… it’s your life, your world, live it the way you want it to be. I leave you with this…
In the words of Wayne Dyer, “You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear. Do it! Develop an appreciation for the present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments. Using them up in any self-defeating ways means you've lost them forever.”
Shine on,
Shannon
P.S.- The day after I completed and sent in my application I saw this billboard
…maybe it was a sign; maybe it was just a coincidence... Either way it made me feel self-assured!
………………………………………………………………………………
*~Some of My Favorite Quotes on Regret~*
“I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through build character, making you a much stronger person.” ~Rita Mero
“I would much rather have regrets about not doing what people said, than regretting not doing what my heart led me to and wondering what life had been like if I'd just been myself.” ~Brittany Renée
“If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.” ~Mercedes Lackey
“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.” ~Sydney Smith
“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” ~Alexander Graham Bell
“Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience.” ~Victoria Holt
“If we spend our time with regrets over yesterday, and worries over what might happen tomorrow, we have no today in which to live.”
“Regret is insight that comes a day too late”
“Accept the pain, cherish the joys, resolve the regrets; then can come the best of benedictions - "If I had my life to live over again, I'd do it all the same”
“The follies which a man regrets most in his life, are those which he didn't commit when he had the opportunity.” ~Helen Rowland
Monday, January 25, 2010
Let the Adventure Begin!!!! :-)
Welcome to my blog! I'm new at this and have always been horrible at writing/keeping a journal so this should be a bit of an challenge in itself!
15 more days until one of the most exciting adventures of my life begins!! :-)
15 more days until one of the most exciting adventures of my life begins!! :-)
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