Ah the joys of summer, that brief period of the year that every student awaits with eager anticipation and then counts down the days until it ends, forever hoping for that "eternal summer". For everyone else, including myself, it is now just a three month period of debilitating heat, barbecue, and enjoying the sunshine. Being the recent college graduate however, I should be expected to have a job and a career plan lined up ahead of me in order to be married, have a child, and a country club membership by the time I'm 30. For those who choose to have that lifestyle, I wish you the best and know you will be happy with whatever you choose to do. For me, I can't say that is what I'd like to do with my time as a 22 year old adult who just finished arguably the most formative four years of his life and hasn't been able to sit still since he was 3 years old.
I've come to this beautiful crossroads that most people can only dream of having. I'm fortunate enough to have a family who will support me in whatever endeavor I choose to set out on, and a friend base who will be cheering me on along the way and provide much needed reinforcement when the going gets rough. This crossroads is beautiful in that no matter the road I choose to follow (or trail, but more on that later), I know that I will be truly happy. The lost opportunities will have given way to others that have incredible potential to better who I am as an individual.
Down the road to the left, I have the potential to get hired at a company who I have dreamed of working for for a number of years now. It is a place where I know I would integrate well into the company culture and unlike working a dead-end job where I would wake up one day and realize I'm 35 years old and unhappy, at this place I would be passionate about what I do and who I work for. If I received the position, I would also have the unique ability to work remotely and thus live anywhere in the United States. Talk about a dream job right there. A great company, and getting to live where I want to? Sign me up.
Now look to the right. If the aforementioned job fails to come to fruition, this is the direction I am headed. It's not so much a road as it is a trail. A 2,100+ mile trail that spans the eastern seaboard from Maine to Georgia: the Appalachian Trail. For a young male who loves the outdoors, what could be better? However, the real reasons are below the surface, below the "go to the woods to find yourself" mentality. This path would give me a chance to impose a challenge upon myself that is both physically and emotionally demanding. It would take everything I've got in my wheelhouse to successfully complete a thru-hike. I'd experience the highest of highs on days with beautiful weather and gorgeous scenery, but at the same time I'd be met with pouring rain, strong winds, and cold weather for days, all alone and with no one to share my frustrations--the lowest of lows. All and all it would provide for the brilliant formative experience of a lifetime, and to have the good fortune to attempt such an undertaking at 22 years of age would be priceless. It would provide a solid foundation on which to base the rest of my life upon and would culminate into an unforgettable experience that will provide me with a hell of story and a valuable skill set.
Honestly, I don't see how either of these paths could be travelled and not be enjoyed. This is where the beauty comes from. I'm lucky to be in a position where I can be deciding between two things that will make me truly happy--and I know it. I know that this is an incredibly rare and prime place to be in as a young adult, and I think that this knowledge of my situation is what has lead me to appreciate it. Without this appreciation I would just be taking it all for granted which would set me up for disappointment later on.
So here I am, at a beautiful crossroads in a limbo-state of mind and lifestyle. Any day now I should get the final world on where I'll be headed: the dream job, or the adventure of a life time. But until then, I think I'll just sit and enjoy the beauty for a while.
-H.G.