Flying high!...with occasional turbulence.

I sat down before my computer tonight with the sole intention of explaining just how much I have had on my mind. I had thought about what I'd write all night long, rehearsing the lines aloud while showering, or jotting down lists of things I wanted to be sure I mentioned. However, as I sat down and began my update, I realized that it was the same post I had been revising and re-posting for months now. Nothing has changed...I'm STILL completely consumed by staying out of debt, working, seeking an internship, doing well in school, applying for scholarships, becoming successful, and still finding time to sleep at night.

In the midst of all this running around it's been easy to forget to focus on my passion. I have not had any chance to embrace life's most simple treasures.
I haven't laid out in the grass and looked up at the clouds, wondering what it might be like to jump across the tops of them. I haven't imagined letting balloons take me soaring into the sky, either.
...Perhaps this is exactly what a man in Oregon felt like three years ago when he settled into his lawn chair with a bag of Doritos....and a parachute. Attached to his lawnchair were somewhere around 105 large, helium balloons that carried him through the sky, 193 miles from his home. He described the flight as mostly peaceful and serene, with occasional turbulence, like the most perfect escape from reality.



Someday when I'm gone I hope that someone, somewhere will regard me as as much of an inspiration as I regard ole' Oregon. I do not want to be remembered as an uptight individual who rarely ventured from her 'To Do' lists. I do not want people to recall that I kept to myself and became obsessed with work. Instead, I want for someone to say "Oh, yeah, Nicole? She was great. She loved to laugh... and she loved to make people laugh. She took risks....She followed her dreams."

Tonight, I am making a promise to be true to myself. I will no longer allow my obligations to interfere with my ability to dream. This is who I am.