Ripples #885: Shaping Our Lives.
May 9, 2016
PEBBLE
In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.
-Eleanor Roosevelt, shared by Julie in Missoula, MT
BOULDER
There is nothing more beautiful than finding your course as you believe you bob endlessly in the current. Wouldn’t you know…your path was there all along, waiting for you to knock, waiting for you to become. This path does not belong to your parents, your teachers, your leaders, your lovers. Your path is your character defining itself more and more everyday, like a photograph coming into focus. -Jodie Foster, shared by David in Memphis, TN
PONDER
Every year around this time, another batch of our friends and fellow Ripplers are preparing to graduate and head into the next chapter in their lives. I think it’s a perfectly fine time for each of us to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed.
It’s true that the unexpected events and obstacles that we encounter sometimes seem to either define or direct which path we are on. Part of making the most of our lives is to recognize that regardless of what happens, it is up to *us* to determine who we are and where we want to go. The challenges we face do not define us; it’s how we respond and where we go from there that ultimately carves out our character and our path.
Whether you’re graduating with a degree or just graduating from another day on the planet, I hope you’ll make good choices about where you’re headed and how you’ll get there.
Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy
p.s. And thanks for taking Ripples along for the ride. It’s an honor and a privilege to be part of your journey.
