It's ok to fall, as long as you get back up

If you look up the word klutz in the dictionary, you will see a picture of me. If you look up the same word in the thesaurus, you will see a picture of my mother. Yes, clumsiness runs in the family. When I was younger, my clumsiness was a result of some really bad choices. The good news? I learned many valuable lessons from said choices.

Lesson #1: Never jump over your brother while he is doing a breakdance move called the "worm". It will result in a busted chin and a scar to show for it many years later.   

Lesson #2: Never say yes, when your brother asks you this question: "Hey, Darlene, want to see a cool new karate move I learned?"

Otherwise, it will result in a karate kick to the face. As well as, one black eye, a very upset mother, and a seriously grounded brother.  If you happen to have dancing recital photos the next day, like I did, you will also have a photo momento to remember this "lesson"by. Oh yeah, this really happened.

That following summer, I also learned to stay out of my grandparents backyard when one of my brothers screamed "Fore!" while swinging a golf club.  I don't think I need to describe what happened next, now do I?

As years progressed, my choices did get better. But I still found myself tripping over my own two feet or simply just falling  - into friend's houses (no, I was not drunk) or even in the parking lot of a corporate complex, second day on the job.

I have kept my friends and co-workers very amused throughout the years.

Because of my many coordination fails,  I learned one of the most valuable lessons in life. When you fall, get back up. Whether you fall flat on your kiester or have some sort of setback - assess the situation, cry for a bit if you need too, but always get back up.   And if you can't, don't be afraid to ask for help.

Making choices and taking chances

As a child, I had a big mouth. During my wakeful hours, I never stopped talking. It's funny how certain things never change. A lot of what I said had to do with my hopes and dreams. I would tell my mother what I wanted to be when I grew up - a doctor, a nurse, an entertainer, a pediatric social worker, a writer, an English Lit. teacher, business owner, baker and the list goes on and on. My mother was (and still is) supportive of all of the things I've ever wanted to do and be.

However, as I grew older, I became more of an introvert when it came to sharing my hopes and dreams with people. In fact, there were some instances where reactions to my declarations were met with harsh criticism.  There was one time when I told a family friend, who was a nurse, that I wanted to be a nurse too. The response I received was, "Well, you're grades aren't really good enough. And it's a lot of hard work." I must have been about 12 or 13. Her words left me feeling deflated.

For a couple of years, I was undecided whether or not I wanted to become a nurse. That's when I found writing. I loved everything about it and decided I wanted to become a writer. Then again, my hopes and dreams of becoming a writer were deflated by harsh criticism from a high school teacher. I was such a sensitive and dramatic girl.

At around 17 years old, I found my voice again. This time, it was an inner voice and it said, "Who the heck cares what everyone else thinks or says? You can take chances, do whatever you want and become whatever you want to be. You've been through so much in your life already. Are you really going to let people bring you down?" The answer was no.

I started taking chances and doing whatever the heck I wanted, within reason, of course. Well, ok. Sometimes my choices were pretty darn stupid. Like the time I decided to cut my own hair. I practically chopped it all off. All.of.it.  

With regards to my future, I did enroll in college right after high school. Like many silly teenagers, I skipped a couple classes and didn't really apply myself. Bad choice, of course. About one week into the semester, I took my first anatomy and physiology class.

And you know what? I LOVED it. It was then and there that I decided I wanted to take the steps needed to follow my dream of working in the medical field.

The thing is, I've always been someone that's wanted results as quickly as possible. I left college (I returned many years later to pursue a degree) and went to school to become a medical assistant.

I was working at a hospital as a nurse's assistant about 8 months later.  I followed my own path, believed in myself and and was happier for it.

Over the years, I've continued to make many choices and have taken chances. Many of them, knowing  full well that I was taking a chance on myself and the future. That's the main takeaway here - take chances, for yourself and for your dreams. Don't ever let anyone tell you can't, because you actually can.

You may mess up (even cut all of your hair off, like I did). More importantly, you may very well realize you can do anything you want, with a little hard work and belief in yourself and your abilities.

Dandelions

When I was a young girl, dandelions were a thing of magic to me. During the summer months, one of my most favorite past times was to go out on the lawn and pick dandelions. Now it wasn't dandelions in the yellow weedy variety that I loved so much. No, it was when they turned to the wispy white flower that many dreams and wishes were made.  At least, my wishes and dreams.

I remember how exhilarating it was for me to pluck a dandelion from the green earth. While holding the dandelion in my hand with my legs crisscrossed beneath me; I would close my eyes, make a wish and then blow. I then watched in amazement as my wishes and dreams floated away into the sky.

Looking back, I wonder if I was hoping they would land in the place where dreams came true.

I did this every chance I could get. It was like blowing out birthday candles every warm, summer day when my actual birthday was in the fall.

The wishes were of the typical young child variety: I wished I'd get that super cool pink bicycle for my birthday, or that my mom would get me that Barbie I had seen at the store.

But most of the time they were, typically, these two wishes:

• I wished to become a nurse someday.

• I wished my family would live forever.

What I didn't know then, but I do know now is that for those two wishes in particular – one has much more to do with hard work and dedication and the other, is left up to fate, chance and life decisions.

We were all young once and in time learned these lessons.

Regardless, on the occasional summer day, when the dandelions are in full bloom, like snowballs on stems in the summer – I still have the urge to run outside, sit in the grass, pluck one of those babies from the ground, close my eyes and make a wish.