Lost in the Woods

Today, I went for a walk in the woods near my house.  I was inspired by this guy I’ve been seeing the last few weeks, as he takes a daily walk, and is committed to self-improvement.  I grabbed my camera, my newly found iPod and my water, and I was off.

I once wrote about a moment when I felt the peace of God for a writing class (posted it here).  I had another one of those moments as I stood over a little log bridge.  The sun was peeping through the trees as a light breeze kicked up and leaves freed themselves from their branches to float to a resting spot on the ground.  I felt calm and secure.  But still uncertain about my life.

As I walked up and back down a big hill, I noticed something.  My eyes rarely left the path.  I never look too far ahead, for fear that I’ll trip on something right in front of me and fall.  I do the same with my life.  I only look ahead in small doses – where will I be this time next month?  In the next six months?  Next year is pushing it, but it crosses my mind.  But if I try to plan out too far ahead, inevitably I will get tripped up by something, and the plan changes.  So, I keep my head down and my eye on the path before me.

For the past three years, the plan has been a career in student affairs, reslife.  But now, seeing posts that friends and acquaintances who are still RAs or starting their professional careers in grad school, I can see just how much better suited they are for it.  That just because I love reslife doesn’t mean that it loves me, or that it is what I am meant to do.  And if not ResLife, what?  I have no clue.  So, I am back at square one.  Not sure if I want to move to NOLA, not sure if I want to follow the career path I had set out for myself, not sure if there is anything out there that I would be good at.  Suggestions welcome, because the path has changed, and I am seriously lost in the woods.