"The Impossible"....Or is it?

The first thing I thought of when I read this assignment was the song "The Impossible" by Joe Nichols. However, I immediately discarded the idea as too personal and started my list of other possible inspirations. But here I find myself, six days later, right back where I started from-writing is about honesty and vulnerability, right?

On my 17th birthday a close friend of mine lost her battle with cancer-when I left the church after her funeral and got in my car, this song came on the radio. I couldn't tell you if I had heard the song before that day, but I've definitely never heard it since and not seen her smiling face. "Unsinkable ships sink, unbreakable walls break. Somtimes the things you think would never happen-happen just like that." As I hear those words I think of her unwavering faith, her courage and strength, the smile she wore all through the pain and agony. I couldn't imagine another so determined to fight and live, so inspirational-and yet, the cancer took her. Those lyrics seem to ring true in my life many times over-when I found out I was pregnant a mere four months after I graduated high school, when I was 25 weeks pregnant lying in a hospital bed listening to a neonatologist tell us our tiny baby's odds of survival, when I heard my mom telling me over the phone that my grandmother had been killed in a car crash, the day my little brother informed me he had enlisted in the army...even the day when after 8 years and two children, two people sat in a room like strangers with nothing to say to each other other than "I'm Sorry." Nobody ever imagines those moments in life, but inevitably they happen everyday. But it's not those moments that define ones life, it's how we react to them. We can either be broken by the challenges in our life, or we can learn from them and allow them to make us stronger. It starts with appreciating what you have, and acknowledging that it could all be gone in an instant. This song reminds me that we need to take the time in life to stop and enjoy the little things-a flower on the side of the road, the simple wonder of a budding leaf, a hug from your child, maybe a chat with a friend or family member. This song speaks deeply to motivation and ambition. The phrase, "I have learned to never underestimate-The Impossible." seems so simple and yet it's so powerful. Nothing is impossible. It serves to remind me that we are always able to control our destiny one step at a time. If we want something bad enough, and continue to work hard enough, anything can be achieved. The only limits in life are those we put on ourselves. "Unbreakable walls break."  The only walls that stand between ourselves and our dreams are those we allow to remain standing.

Connections Through Writing

From the time I was small, I have always loved to read and appreciated the unlimited possibilities that come with reading and writing. My mom was a Catholic schools teacher who taught English, so the love of books was in my blood. Through stories of faraway lands and unknown places, a child develops not only creativity but the ability to develop the core belief that truly anything is possible.

Writing expands this to the ability to express all possibilities. As a child I learned that writing allows one to escape reality and explore endless possibilities. As an adult, I've found that writing can help to clarify life experiences by adding a degree of seperation and expressing and processing emotions. While I haven't journaled in a long time I have found it to be a very useful tool.When my son was in the NICU I kept a journal; at the time it was a means of coping, but looking back now I find I'm glad that I did for a completely different reason. Writing allows us to suspend in time the reality and emotion of a situation from a specific perspective. It's often the best and worst of times in life we always claim we will not forget, and while that may be true, time has a way of dimming the edges. Through writing, these events can be preserved like a picture and offer others insight years later. I have gone back and read parts of that journal recently to remind myself that the struggles of today become the triumphs of tomorrow-it is always possible to beat the odds. I hope one day to share my journal with my son so he is able to truly understand just how much of a miracle he is and the incredible strength he embodied even in such a tiny bundle. Writing and reading allows people to make connections and constantly expand thier horizons and educate themselves.

I have always loved education and think that life centers around learning everday. We educate ourselves in the social and cultural realm through our everyday interactions with others. We educate ourselves every time we learn something new-professionally or personally. I have always often found myself hearing random facts or reading an article and being left with many more questions. My curiousity almost always gets the best of me, I begin to reserach and the next thing I know I've jumped to three different topics and it's three hours later. I find myself here, seeking a formal education because I think that it's an imporant journey  and a an unparalled assett in life. I didn't feel the need to return to school and seek a degree, but rather a deep want. My children have motivated me in life more than anything else and I hope that through my pursuit of higher education I am able to instill in them the importance of education and the values of hard work and determination. I don't regret anything in my life, every choice has brought me to where I am today and has made me the person I am today-and for that I'm grateful. However, a parent always wants to protect their children in all aspects of life and I truly hope I am able to instill in them the values to follow their dreams and pursue a degree straight out of high school and avoid some of the struggles I've experienced in life. As they lie in their beds sleeping like peaceful little angels, I know that I cannot control their life choices any more than I can control the weather. But I hope that through introducing them to reading and writing early in life, and making it fun-letting them discover the possiblities and own their achievements-that I can instill in them the confidence, creativity, ambition, and drive to recognize later in life the importance of education and to seek to follow their dreams without too many big bumps along the way.