Do you remember the first day when you went to kindergarten? You had this feeling that was a mix of “this is going to be awesome” and “I hope I don’t pee my pants!” You probably had the same feeling your first day of middle school and maybe even when you went to high school. And you probably got that feeling when you first got your driver’s license, didn’t you? I remember I had that feeling during all of those moments of life not to mention when I got married and when I became a father.
Because each time we open a new chapter in the stories of our lives, it becomes very difficult to know what is next. Let’s be honest. It is easier to stay in a situation that you are comfortable in than it is to venture out into the unknown. It’s easier to stay on the shore as opposed to jumping in the ocean. There is that fear that you don’t know what’s in the ocean or if you’ll be able to swim or any other number of other hypothetical situations that you can come up with. But if you always stay on the shore, then you’ll never experience the feeling of playing in the ocean. Besides, if you get freaked out, you can always pee in the water. Nobody will know the difference.
The point is this: the first day of anything you’re freaked out and are probably sensing a minor anxiety attack at any moment. But after a while, you kind of figured things out didn’t you? Over the first few weeks, you got the hang of kindergarten and it wasn’t too bad. One of my first weeks, I learned that apparently you’re not supposed to pull out someone’s chair from underneath them when they are getting ready to sit down. Prior to kindergarten, supposedly I didn’t know that. I learned that is frowned upon.
It is all just part of the journey of growing up. And while it may seem simpler and more convenient to sit on the shore for the rest of your life, that’s no way to live. So while it’s fine to be a little nervous about the future, don’t pee your pants too much over it (unless you’re in the ocean). Eventually you’ll figure it out and get the hang of things.
