Crossroads

We've all been here. And, incidentally, if you don't own this, you should.

I think that this has been on my mind lately because I've seen a little pile of former students recently. 5 in the last week (2 the week before, 3 next week...). And, it's so interesting to see how they've dealt with the choices that they've encountered. Specifically, of the five former students that I saw last week, 3 of them made or are making pretty significant changes in their course of studies to more appropriately align them with reasonable and enjoyable goals. And, at least 2 of them are trying to decide where to go next. I've got to say, I really admire the choices that they've made and paths they have chosen. They sound like fun and challenging routes, and I think that they'll all do well.

I was one of those kids who knew that science had to be my life. I didn't really know how, or in what capacity, but it had to be science. I thought it would be medicine. I was wrong. So, I changed my mind, too, and have never looked back (at that choice, anyway). If someone had told me when I graduated from high school that I would be a high school teacher, I would have laughed them out of the room. But, things happen, and choices get made, and I feel pretty certain that I've made the right ones for me as that is concerned. Hopefully I don't suck at it...that'd be a bummer.

That certainly doesn't mean that there aren't other choices that I look back on and wonder what it would be like if I had chosen a different path. I guess that's just got me thinking lately. All of these young adults have long roads ahead of them, and they get to choose which pathway they'll be taking. Perhaps I'm a little nostalgic as I realize that my road is a little bit shorter, and some of the turns that I've taken along the way have certainly lent themselves to some different scenery. Not that I don't enjoy the view, don't get me wrong, I just wonder what the other roads look like. Which is another cool thing about my job: I get to hear about the journeys that other people take, if they want to tell me and our paths cross or run together. And that's pretty neat, too.

Sometimes it's okay to look at the pictures and not swim with the dolphins.