Never in a million years would I have thought that one of the pivotal moments in my young adult life would have been brought on by a faded, yellow, Post-It note. This Post-it note would not only become one of my most beloved, and invaluable possessions, it would also become my inspiration. On March 19th, 2017 I lost the most important person in my life, my father. My father became a single parent to a 12-year-old girl after my mother suffered a stroke. For the past 23 years, he had been my rock, my mentor, and above all else my best friend. He played the dual role of a mother and a father better than most parents who didn’t have half of the struggles he had. Needless to say, that trying to cope in a world he was no longer physically a part of was the biggest challenge I have had to face in my 23-year existence. It was about a week following my father’s passing that I was packing up his belongings, and stumbled upon a box of miscellaneous paperwork. As I was thumbing through the various documents, I came across the seemingly insignificant Post-it note. Upon further examination, I recognized my father’s handwriting. I picked the note up and began to read it, "Life may not be the trail we expected, but as long as we are here enjoy the ride, and ride baby ride!" It was in the midst of reading his words that I began to feel a wave of emotions, emotions I hadn’t felt since before his sudden passing. These feelings came in an almost overwhelming rush of relief, joy, and optimism. It was in the midst of reading the second line on that faded yellow post-it note, that I became fully aware that it was the first time since I’d lost my dad that I felt pure and undeniable joy. These particular feelings of joy and optimism had been started to become foreign, and I had briefly forgotten how good it feels to be hopeful for the future. Coming to the realization that these feelings were not brought on just because they were his words, but that this message was directly related to me. I knew that if I started to apply this message to every aspect of my life, it would begin to help me cope. I believe that God works in mysterious ways, and I believe that by allowing me to find my Dad’s wisdom by the way of that Post-it, God was reminding me I have nothing to fear and that everything is going to be okay.
From that point on I decided to live my life by this quote. It is a simple reminder that in life there is no way to plan for everything, you can only prepare, pray, and persevere through whatever comes your way. It is expected that there are going to be bumps in the road, and yes, at times those bumps may seem like sinkholes, but you cannot be discouraged. I choose to view these obstacles as tasks put in front of me with the sole purpose to allow me the opportunity to grow and become stronger. Instead of being overwhelmed by negative thoughts or doubt, I prefer to operate on the principle that we are only granted this one life so, "as long as we are here enjoy the ride.” The strength I have gained by choosing to allow this quote to become one I live by has almost completely eliminated my fear of the unknown. It has given me the ability to navigate through each and every potential roadblock with a positive attitude. It has reiterated the importance of trusting God’s process. In the KJV there is a scripture that reads, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah55:9, KJV). This concept touches on exactly why I choose to let my dad’s quote guide me. The key message I take away each time I re-read his words are that even when life isn't going as I might have planned, by the grace of God I am still here. I am still able to achieve those goals I have set for myself. Therefore even when I’m facing situations I don’t have control over, I do have full control over how I choose to react to them. Choosing to not only enjoy this wild ride called life but to also make the decision to be grateful for every detour I will encounter on my way to my ultimate destination. After all, roads tend to only undergo maintenance when they are ready for some improvement.
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