my future.

" It's YOUR future"

These words send butterflies into my stomach

and get me mind reeling with the anticipation of

journeys and accomplishments that only exist in my wildest dreams.

A lot is left to experience

and there is a tide pulling me back and forth;

to leave home or to stay here

to bind myself to family or

to tie myself to travel.

I grab my suitcase and excitedly 

pack it full of aspirations and dreams

and glance down at the map in my hands that reads

"go wherever you want and be whoever you wanna be" 

in a shiny permanent ink.

This is my decision sitting right here in my hands. 

I'll hop on a plane and soar

over bright blue oceans, break through clouds

that loom over the London skyscrapers,

make a pit stop in the Big Apple

and glide over the Rocky Mountains.

I'll look back at the stress of college decisions

and laugh at the how the puzzle

fits together without a hitch.

On my own I will venture to places that

will continue to make up the building blocks

of who I am as a person. 

I'll meet friends that will make a lasting impact

on me and I'll have adventures that can never be replaced. 

I'll get my feet wet doing things I love to do

I'll excel in my own area of expertise

and look out the window of a place that

I picked out for a future all my own. 

I'll drink coffee from cafes around the globe

ride trains that stretch across Europe

watch the clouds' reflection in a sapphire sea

and be content with wherever I am.

"It's YOUR future,

go wherever you want and be whoever you want to be. "