Flying High

Caroline took her younger brother, Michael, outside to fly kites. The wind was unpredictable. The kites were colorful - red and blue. The white strings attached stretched across the sky. Caroline was out of breath, tugged in different directions. This indulgence distracted her from choosing a college to attend.

She missed every deadline. Every school she applied to accepted her and wanted a response. She couldn’t decide. Nothing seemed like a good fit. Her soul sky-high threatened to wander aimlessly in an unruly manner. She was the oldest child and felt pressured to prove herself.

“Why don’t we go inside?” Caroline suggested.

Her brother approved. Once indoors, the two of them separated. Situated in a room alone, each stared into a screen. Their mom came home and saw them on their devices. She asked if Caroline could prepare dinner – spaghetti and lamb meatballs.

After dinner, the family divided up responsibilities – cleaning the kitchen and dining room among other chores. Caroline confessed to her mom that she hadn’t responded to any university in time to matriculate that upcoming fall.

“What will you do with your time?” her mom said, concerned about Caroline’s future.

“I can work. I’d rather earn a paycheck. School can wait until I know what I want to study,” Caroline said, unsure of the benefits of higher education. She wasn’t invested.

“You sound so hopeless. Who will hire a high school graduate?”

“Mom, I can serve as a receptionist. Money doesn’t define you, neither does education. Regardless of what they say, you are not what you know.”

“Okay, honey, but I’ll charge you rent if you live with me, and I will implement high expectations in terms of household duties. Do you want to live at home with us?”

“Yes, mom, until I get my life together.”

Life slowed down now that Caroline was not in school. She had time to read books by choice, not by syllabus. Her friends focused on school assignments, and she secured an office job. Slowly, she distanced herself from her old friends. She went on an inward journey building character. She kept a daily gratitude journal to remember her blessings. If there was anything she learned, it was that happiness came from within. While her old friends compared themselves to unrealistic examples on social media, Caroline fasted from the online world. She had an inner life to attend to and that brought her joy. Her freedom tasted like fireworks. Her independence was something to celebrate.

She no longer held her breath waiting her turn to speak in a so-called conversation. She listened to wisdom and breathed freely. She communicated through action, not just words. She learned how to achieve success that could be repeated. She saw results in life and no longer surrendered to unpredictability. She surrendered to God Who was the epitome of order. Goodbye to the world of chaos. Amidst all of life’s changes, Caroline made a home in her heart where peace would dwell. This is the story she lived to tell.