Our Roots Pave the Paths for Our Futures

Have you ever thought about who you are today and what made you become this way?

I have a theory. Even though we all say we go through our own lessons, trials, and errors, there are still those vital years of our lives when we lived solely by the means of our parents. We learned to speak from the words they used; we learned to read from the books they read. If we grew up fishing at a local lake, then most likely that enjoyment is still within our bodies somewhere. When they did something, we seemed to follow.

In all honesty, it’s crazy to think about how closely and how immensely our traits and passions are related to our roots. For example: I remember crawling out of bed after one of my parents finished reading a book to me and looking at the pages by the light of the space under the door so I could teach myself how to read. I cannot tell you how old I was or which books I chose to read by the light of the door, but I can tell you the rush of excitement I felt as I played back the scenes from each page back in my mind. To this day, reading is a huge part of my life.

Aside from what my life is about, think about what is most important to you in your life. Don’t automatically think about family members or close friends, but rather about what you do for yourself. When you feel happy, do you like to dance around your room? Or when your sad, do you paint a picture of the rush of emotions you feel? I challenge you to think about one more thing: When was the first moment you realized your passion? My loves for reading and writing were evident throughout my childhood and began at a young age; I can’t even remember the first moment I picked up a book or the moment I wrote my first short story. What I can tell you is the moment I realized I wanted to write for the rest of my life: The moment I stepped into my seventh grade creative writing class. It was as if I found my place and I felt like I belonged to a secret society. Warmth flooded me and that class was the sole purpose I realized my passion for writing. Had it not been for that class and my parents reading to me when I was little, there is a great possibility I would not be here, sharing my blog and thoughts with you.

Now, back to our roots. We all have those family members who bless us with words of encouragement and we have those family members who share stories with us, which leave our mouths hanging open from surprise. We all also have those members from our hometowns, schools, organizations, churches, or sports who became mentors for guiding us down the paths we chose to take. Those are the people who stay in our lives and our hearts, and those are the people we should wake up thanking every day for showing us the paths toward our true callings in our lives.