This past Saturday, I attended my local high school’s
graduation. The Class of 2012 received their awards and diplomas and tossed
their hats in the air in a symbolic opening of the door to the next phase of
their life. Happiness, fear, excitement, sadness - all the emotions mixed together as the
graduates bid their classmates and friends good-bye and set out on their own
course. Some of them knew what they wanted to do, some of them hadn’t a clue,
and some of them were somewhere in the middle. Those people who didn’t know
what they heck they were doing… That was me ten years ago.
People might think that I graduated high school with the
intent to one day open a dance studio. Nah… Don’t get me wrong. I knew I wanted
to clog, but I never considered it for a career of any sort. The funny thing is…
my class joked about it being my career. On the last day of my high school
career at my class’ Class Day celebration, a committee of my fellow students
put together prophecies for each student. What was mine? To move to Pigeon
Forge and become a professional clogger. Hmmm… Well, I’m not in Pigeon Forge,
but it seems like the other end of that kinda happened. Who’da thunk it?
The guest speaker at this year’s Class of 2012 graduation
spoke about being prepared for your future but never really knowing what’s
going to happen. I guess Forest Gump was right: “Life is like a box of
chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” That’s been my experience
anyway, but I guess that’s the fun thing about life.
That guest speaker was talking about things that I recently
remembered learning about life. He spoke of not being afraid to go after your
dreams, but having the understanding things might not always turn out exactly like
we planned. It wasn’t a “Hey, you can go after your dreams, but don’t expect
them to come true,” speech. It was a realistic speech. A “Here’s what you want
to do, and here’s what you going to do. But over here are the millions of
different outcomes you could get,” speech.
My class jokingly said I would go to Pigeon Forge and become
a clogger. Who knows? Maybe they really thought that. As crazy as I was about
clogging in high school, that was probably a realistic guesstimate at the time.
And maybe in some corner of my mind, I thought that, too. One thing I did
“know” was that I wanted out of the wee-teeny little town I called home. FAR
away!
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| The view from my new studio! (And this photo still doesn't do it justice!) |
Turns out – I didn’t get as far away as I thought, and I’m
fine with that. In fact, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I couldn’t stand to
live in a bustling city. I need my wide open spaces. And looky here! I own a
dance studio! A small dance studio, but I have great students that light up my
face whenever I have them in class. Furthermore, I’m moving into a new studio,
and I can pretty much guarantee that no other studio in the world has the
fantastic view like my new place! The perfect place for a creative hub – right
in the middle of the beautiful rolling hills and countryside of Highland
County – a place that inspires me
so much today and much more than any sky scrapper, traffic light, or 5 p.m. rush hour traffic would.
In addition to traveling and competing, performing alongside
some cool kids and adults, getting a contract with an entertainment agency, and
performing at local resorts with my dance partner, I also am free to explore
other adventures as well – volunteerism, traveling, writing, farming, and making some
amazing memories with some amazing friends in a place that has beauty like no
other. No, I’m not in Pigeon Forge or New York City
or California or wherever I might
find a gig to dance. Why? Because I’ve got the perfect gig right here. And
while I get out whenever I want to perform and compete on bigger stages, I’ll
gladly stay tucked away in my mountain home with my small, simple dance studio.
That’s the life for me – my dream come true.
Sometimes there is no path for what we want to do. Sometimes
there is no conventional way to follow our dreams – to live in an area that may
or may not support a business that we choose to enter into. But you know what?
As Martina McBride says “Do it anyway. Dream it anyway.” When I opened my dance
studio, I thought “This is my dream. This is what I HAVE to accomplish.” That also made me think that I had to take my dance career to heights that would
dazzle my friends, family, and fellow dancers. I felt was my obligation as a dancer
and a dreamer to show those non-believers that dreams really could come true if
you worked hard enough. And part of me thought “This is what I will do for the
rest of my life.” Now, while I love dance, and I love my students… doing one
thing for the rest of my life?? I don’t think so. Give me variety. Give me
adventure. Give me more wide open spaces. And as far as dreaming big and
accomplishing goals to prove a point, well, it’s all well and good to show
those people who say “That’s impossible! You can’t do that!” But when you get
to the point where you’re not just content but happy, then that is where you
belong. It doesn’t matter if your happiness comes with fame and fortune or if
it leads you to a big metropolitan city where everyone THINKS you should be. If you're happy right where you are, then that's where you need to be. Or if you know that you're happiness awaits in that big metropolitan city, then pack your bags and put on your traveling shoes.
I live in a beautiful location where many of my friends
think it is impossible to live. I had many people tell me to “Get out of the
county quick and make a life for yourself! You’re never going to find wealth
and happiness here!” Well, I got news for ‘em. 1) Most people who dream of
being a dancer, never count on being rich. And 2) While it may not be monetary,
I HAVE found wealth. And you can bet your beanie I’m happy! And I’m living in
the town most told me to leave and doing something most told me I couldn’t do.
Plus, I get to have a garden, participate in a local theatre group, take part
in fun community happens, and (most importantly) hang out chit-chatting with
fun friends (sometimes all hours of the night) in an area where we don’t have
to worry that much about robberies or violence.
So the moral of the story, kiddos, is exactly what that
guest speaker said at graduation on Saturday. “Do not follow where the path may
lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” We each have our
own unique trail to blaze. We all have different needs and different wants and
desires. Do not follow the same path your neighbor takes because that path was made for your neighbor. If you try to walk someone else's path, it will probably
lead you to a place you don’t want to be or a place you don’t belong. And
why on earth should we walk through our one and only life on a path that was
not intended for us? We’ve only got one life, so find your path and don’t walk…
skip, run, dance, or stop and smell the roses if you want to. Find your path
and don’t worry how close it parallels to what some would consider “realistic”
or “successful.” If you want to be an actor in Hollywood,
go for it! If you find yourself happy as a cashier at a store, then enjoy life
and walk out of your career everyday with your head held high knowing
you’re doing what you want to be happy. I’ve come to find that success is not a
huge house or a big fancy car. Success is happiness, and most of the time I,
and most of the people around me, are pretty successful.
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