Dream Big 73

It was the day after Thanksgiving and I went on my usual morning walk. The air was thick with a brooding fog laced with smoke from the neighboring mountains. I pondered the day before, grateful for my family that came together at the dinner table to catch up with the ongoings in each of our lives, and laughing at the little things that make us smile. I'm quite fortunate to have such incredible people in my life; my only wish is for their happiness and for them be proud of my achievements, no matter how great or small they may be.

I smiled to myself and continued to walk along the path paved with hope for the future. I looked up to the sound of something large flying overhead; it was a RedTailed Hawk that had perched itself up ahead of me on a nearby tree. I stopped and just watched it looking in my direction, and then it flew over to the lamp post that was on the right of the trail. I had never been able to see a hawk in such close proximity before where I could see it wasn't as brightly colored as a male would be, and she just looked down at me as if she was going to relay a message. I waited and watched her in awe that she had remained sitting atop the lamp post for as long as she had. The hawk was fearless and didn't seem threatened by me at all, as we both simply stared into each other's eyes. Any fears I had in my heart seemed to melt away, and at once I understood why she came to me. Sometimes the universe lets you know when you're on the correct path. She looked into my eyes once more before she let out a scream and flew away. I continued to walk along the graveled trail and watched as she kept flying from tree to tree staying just ahead of me before finally flying out of eyesight.

At that moment I let go of all the worries I had been feeling lately. Sometimes you just simply can't control what you have no control over. You cannot change what others are doing, or what they try to do to hurt you. The only person who is in control is you, but even then you don't always manage that. It is absolutely frightening when you don't know what's going to happen next. I wish I could peer into the future and see what the universe has planned. I do know that the plans I have created for myself are on a scale that seems to be almost completely unobtainable, but I believe in the fates, and I know that if I trust them that I will succeed because I work hard for what I want. But sometimes that fear likes to raise its head and attack my senses, shaking me to my core. It's then when I have to tell myself it will be alright. And I will be alright. I just need to believe it to be so, just as the hawk represented it to me.

My thoughts returned to the goals I have set for myself, and as I work them over in my mind, I am left with one sure purpose for it all. No matter how terrifying everything may seem, I cannot let myself down. Although the urge to give up is a constant struggle; it is the greatest challenge I've ever truly faced. I alone can defy my natural fear of failure, and it is only I with the power to defeat it. No one else can fight their way to my worst enemy, only I can with the belief that hope can overcome anything that gets in the way of success. I know that all I need is to find the courage to do it.

Never fear the unknown, for it is the unknown that draws us to face our fears. Never give up hope, challenge what you believe, and always dream big.