It is not what we get. But who we become, what
we contribute… that gives meaning to our lives. – Tony Robbins
Change is the law of life. And those who look
only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. - John F. Kennedy
Last Friday, I “celebrated” one year
living in Virginia (Washington, D.C.).
With this milestone in my life, I took some time to ponder the year.
When I decided to take this leap of
faith, I knew the basics: where I would live, my job and where I would attend
church. Driving into D.C. on that
Thursday afternoon (May 26, 2016), I was filled with awe, excitement and
amazement seeing the Pentagon and after attaining my apartment key I was
overjoyed and marveled knowing I would wake up to the Pentagon and Washington
Monument every morning as I looked out my window. On
that first morning, I woke up to see the sun rise and knew a new day had dawned
in my life.
Through the year, it was not what I
expected; however, it has been pretty awesome!
After a rough start, it took about a month before I began volunteering
in my church. Now, I volunteer monthly
for Hospitality, I participate in 2nd Saturday Serve where I go to
an assisted living facility to paint the finger nails of female residents and I
am assisting with an awesome group called Work & Faith where we discuss how
our profession and faith intersect.
The turning point was attending my
first meeting at a local Toastmaster Club. When I called my mother after the meeting, she
said my whole experience in Virginia changed.
Through Toastmasters, I have completed various speeches and participated
in two speech contest, in which I won one and branded myself “The Texas
Lady”.
Politically, I have had a harder start. I volunteered for the Trump/Pence campaign and traveled to New Hampshire to volunteer for the Ayotte campaign. What an experience! My sister came to attend various Inauguration events with me in January, which was a great experience.
I have not been able to see do as much
“sightseeing” as I would have liked, but I have taken some awesome runs into
D.C. and the sunrises are breathe-taking.
Furthermore, I have traveled a few places on the East Coast, which has
definitely broadened my horizons!
Through my various activities and
responsibilities, I have met many wonderful people from various walks of
life. When you live so close to the
Pentagon and D.C., I can testify that you have no idea who you are working out
with in the gym, attending church with or who you will see in the airport.
This year has brought many smiles and
many tears. My mom has said a couple
times that she is proud of how much I have changed in how I handle the
difficulties of life. Through it all, I
see how I am progressing toward accomplishing many of my dreams and goals.
Bill Gates said:
Most people overestimate what they can do in
one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.
I cannot wait to see where I am after
10 years with this awesome experience I have endured over the last year.
Challenge: Take the
chance…take the risk…IT IS WORTH IT!
Hindsight
is always twenty-twenty. – Billy Wilder
