This weekend I gave an alumni talk for an organization with which I was heavily involved with in college. The talk was part of a weekend retreat where I myself retreated every semester while at MSU. I've given talks on those retreats before, some in the exact spot I gave this weekend's, in fact.
Standing at the podium in front of many faces I did not recognize, but some that I did, I wondered what if. What if, as a sophomore in college giving a talk on taking life as it comes, I knew my car would break down a hour away from my house in the middle of nowhere and in the winter no less. Would I remember to take life as it came then? What if, as a 21-year-old giving a talk on hope, I knew I'd take a job that I hated, but get another job that I loved (this one…). Would hope carry me through every single job interview I had until I got to come home to West Michigan?
The talk I gave this weekend was about having courage–courage when I don't know what's coming, and courage when I do, but I don't know how to handle it. My mentor in college used to say, "hindsight is 20/20." I wonder how I'll need the message of courage in the future. I wonder if I'll remember that I told a group of 100 college students that we always have courage living inside of us.
Written by: Erika Fifelski was born and raised in West Michigan, and after a brief stint on the sunrise side, she's home and loving it. Erika enjoys cooking, sewing, vacuuming, and discovering new ways to live sustainably and support local businesses.
