This Road We Travel
Thanks so much for all the love on Monday’s post.
We’re preparing for a storm here. They’ve released the schools 2 hours early to get home before the high winds start. I’ve secured the yard the best I can.
As a Florida girl, I’m pretty good at preparing for high winds 🙂 I’ve been through plenty of tropical storms and hurricanes. Although after my experience during Wilma, wind, and trees do get me a little concerned.
Blue Ridge Parkway.
Yesterday, I traveled to visit my mother-in-law in the Lynchburg area.
Weather permitting (and usually during daylight hours because of the amount of deer) I take the Blue Ridge Parkway for a portion of the drive.
I pulled off at some overlooks, just to see if there were any amazing things to capture.
It wasn’t the best time of day for lighting so I was not very inspired.
I heard my phone going off and pulled into the next overlook to check it.
Only a handful of people text me so I needed to see if it was urgent since once I left the Parkway, I would rather not stop.
What Do We Chase?
It was from my son. A snapshot of some artwork that he had created. It made my heart so happy because he has this talent that I could only wish to possess. He prefers to keep his works mostly private for now.
It reminded me of what I had been pondering.
What we teach our children to chase.
I think it’s fine and great for your child to want to become a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or international businessperson.
I have children with some of those ambitions at this moment in time.
But it’s also fine for your child to have other passions.
Passions that may not lead to fortune or fame.
Passions that are still a life lived fully.
It’s also okay if your child has no clue what they want to do for a living.
Lord knows that I didn’t!
Sometimes I worry that they are expected to have their entire life mapped out by the time they are entering high school.
That there’s this pressure to follow a prescribed pattern for life, whether or not it makes you happy.
I get a devotional email from Proverbs 31 daily.
Today’s resonated with everything that I’ve said and thought. If you want to see it, you can read it here.
The key verse hitting on the feelings that have been tumbling around for days.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. -Psalm 39:5
Go. Live. Adventure.
Sometimes I want to say to all three of my children…
Yes… Spend a year living in a van, hanging out at the beach, living off your savings or side jobs.
Yes… Take a year to backpack around Europe.
Yes…Expand your horizons. Meet new people. Find Yourself.
Yes…Travel the road less taken.
Yes…Find the one that fills your life with meaning.
Yes…Go. Live. Adventure.
To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. -Oscar Wilde
I find many moments of peace as I travel along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
It’s like life.
Often, you don’t know what is around the distant bend, but you travel along anyway, trusting that you will reach your destination.
This capture was from our hike to Dragon’s Tooth. I liked that there were two ways around the obstacle in our path. Neither of them was the right way or the wrong way. Either way, we ended up at our destination.
Raising children is not a simple matter. There is no instruction manual. No prescribed way to successful parenting (okay, there are some claims, which usually make those of us who don’t achieve it, feel like crap).
We fumble along, get some things wrong, get some things right, and trust that in the end, they will find a way of compassion, kindness, and joy.
Pay attention to the things you are naturally drawn to. They are often connected to your path, passion, and purpose in life. Have the courage to follow them. -Ruben Chavez
Let your light shine!
Amy
Very nice!
Thank you 🙂
We have one daughter who is an artist. That’s what she is and so she went to art school. All too often, that means when you get out, you have to find an existence level job in order to survive, leaving you little time or money for art. She was blessed to get a job at the school she attended and while it by no means is a good-paying job, it IS a job with benefits and that enables her to live, albeit frugally while she also develops more of her artistic skills. So I know whereof you speak. 🙂
janet
It’s great that she followed her passion. 🙂 Some of mine are still more in the camp of unsure of directions, but I keep pointing out all their variety of passions in watching them over the years.
I just want them to chase their dreams. 🙂
I agree.
I like the message about keeping going, even though you might not know what is coming. There’s a lot to be said for putting one foot in front of the other.
There’s is definitely a lot to be said about one foot in front of the other!
I’ve also heard it said- “Do the next right thing”….”and the next”. 🙂
Beautiful post, Amy!
Thank you! 🙂
My father’s big on saying everyone should have a career and a skill. A skill can fill in career gaps, or be used to earn extra income, a skill is always advantageous. I believe that.
BUT! I also believe you need a hobby, a passion — something that makes you feel alive, something that gets you out of bed/out of your head/out into the world.
I think the most interesting people are the ones who have a lot of passions — and of course I lean toward the artistic, but I don’t think it matters so much what it is, so long as you have the love of doing it.
I hope I make that clear with my kids.
If I need it, I will take any advice from any parent into consideration. I believe it takes a village. 🙂
I definitely think they need to be able to put a roof over their head and food on table {out of their own income} and support a family if they choose to have one. I like your dad’s career and a skill concept.
I get concerned that what they see through various outlets is that if you don’t have a career that earns 6 figures, you’ve made the wrong choice.
I want them to have lofty expectations and work hard to get there, as long as they are enjoying their life. Whether that’s through their chosen career or what they pursue outside of their career. 🙂
I definitely think it takes a village. That’s why it was so hard to move away from my family. I think lots of people have great parenting advice. In my mind, I was meaning things like “if they don’t eat this, or read that, or aren’t involved in these things” you’ve ruined them for life. If that were the case, I’d be in trouble 🙂
Nice post Amy. ☺ I think most moms would really want their children to live their dreams and it’s partly our job to make sure that they do. ☺
P.S. I love Switchfoot too! 🖒😊
Thank you Nina. I’m sure that most moms do want that. 🙂 We pour a lot of love into them and hope it sticks 🙂 I think Switchfoot is great… and this song gets me thinking every time.
The wonderings of most mothers how their children will end up when they’re out of the house:):) Don’t worry no matter what they choose first and how rebellious they seem to be, the first years 10 years seem to come back to them (in how loved they were and what values the parents taught them).
Since I had to fight so hard to become the opposite of what my parents thought I should be because I was a girl, I didn’t pressure my kids. And they all did something different from what I thought they would do, lol! As long as you love ’em, that’s what counts!
Thanks so much for your words. They know they are loved, so that’s a relief! 🙂 I’m confident it’ll all work out as it should.
Reblogged this on Travel To Inspire.
Thanks so much! 🙂
Love your photos girl! I love traveling! OMG! Haha. Im Chy from https://thelostmango.com Nice to meet you! XOXO
Thank you and thanks for stopping by! Nice to meet you too. 🙂
Of course! Can’t wait for your next post! I just posted another Europe travel post! Hope you are doing great! XOXO https://thelostmango.com
I loved the quote at the end. It summed up the post beautifully. In the end, we all just want our children to be happy, but sometimes that takes them down a different path from the ones we are familiar with.
But when it makes their heart sing … wow! 🙂
Thank you. I do think happiness for them would be great! And I hope they find what makes their heart sing. 🙂
I’m from Florida too!
Thank you for this post. Parents like you can be hard to come by and even when we do, there’s still the pressure from society demanding, “success.” My parents have always been supportive of me, but after high-school and throughout college, I had serious issues with conforming to our culture’s ideas of success. I was working toward all the things that were supposed to make me happy and I was still coming up empty. It finally came to a point where it was my happiness or theirs: I chose me. I think we each have so much more to give to the world and others when we find what it is that she our hearts on fire and gives us passion. I don’t think I could’ve had my blog three or four years ago. Then, I had no passion or inspiration. I love the quote by Ruben Chavez.
Thanks so much for this great post!
Thank you so much!
I am a Florida native, but have now been in Virginia for a little over 3 years. I get back as often as I can since all of my family is still there.
The pressures of society can be quite demanding! I’m happy that you were able to choose your happiness above the overwhelming din of the surrounding world. Best of luck 🙂