On a rainy day in May of 2010, I achieved a goal that had
been on my radar for the majority of my childhood. I graduated from college in one of the
coolest and most unique cities in America.
During my time there, I witnessed a resurrection of a city that was
brought to its knees and despite all evidence leading one to conclude
otherwise, I can report that today, in July of 2013, it is back and better than
ever. This place and its people had
every opportunity to close up shop and say, “Wasn’t meant to be”, but they
didn’t. When I left in 2010, I feared it
would be permanent. I would be leaving
behind all the memories that I had created and I had no idea what to do
next. It was a crippling feeling. I did not have a job and felt as if
everything was falling apart. It took
six months, but I ended up getting a job, back in that wonderful city and a
really cool one at that. I was given the
chance to make new memories in the same old place. It was not until my last day of this
wonderful opportunity that I realized why none of the other jobs I had applied
for worked out. This one was meant to
be.
Fast forward 2 ½ years and here we are. That fantastic job was temporary and has just
come to an end. I have been looking for
a job since April 2012 in the wide world of sports and have had no
success. Could it be worse? Most definitely. I am blessed to have the greatest “sponsors”
in the world who have made my search for happiness possible. Is this how I ever imagined my life at 25?
Most definitely not. I’m single and
unemployed. Although I love being 25,
it’s just not what I had in mind. I
thought my life would be a little bit more together at this point. The thing that is hardest to swallow is how
little things have changed since the crippling month of May 2010. I made progress, but find myself back in an
all too familiar place. I’m on my
knees, looking for a sign with no idea what to do next. I will most likely be leaving that city down
South I love so much, but where I go next is the real unknown. I have applied for more jobs than I would like
to admit and have been told far too many times, “Wasn’t meant to be.” The question I have is, what IS meant to
be? When will THAT one appear? As I struggle to keep my sanity, I don’t have
to look far for an inspiring example and another popular phrase, “It will all
work out.” 22 year-old me was worrying
about the same things, paralyzed by the fear that it would just never work
out. I’ve never been so happy to be so
wrong. I learned the meaning of, “Wasn’t
meant to be,” as I found the exact opposite.
Like the city I love, I feel I have no choice, but to keep on fighting
until I find the WAS meant to be I’ve been looking for.
“Everything will be alright in the end. If it is not alright, it is not yet the
end.”
