Drive of a Lifetime

By: Christina Borger
Posted In: Opinion

Driving along the fast-paced highway, cars passed hurriedly by me clearing the road ahead. The empty road, the expanse of highway, left for me to drive over as fast or as slow as I desired. Glancing in the rearview mirror, I saw smiles on the faces of people I love; I felt the warmth of hot summer days that turned into warm moonlit nights. I smelled the freshness of towels and bed linens left hanging on the clothes line blowing in the summer breeze. I tasted the savory and delicious doings, courtesy of mom. The view from the rearview mirror becomes increasingly hazier, yet equally pleasant in memory as I drive further from home.

Refocusing on the road ahead, the road left uncovered, I dare to dream of how life may play out. I dream for eternal happiness to carry me through life. I dream for success to guide me to a profitable, yet rewarding career. I dream for the year ahead to be filled with the fruit of a meaningful learning environment, the love of those who offer their support while enduring similar quests and the warmth radiating from the smiles of those who will stand beside me at the year’s end to look back and take pride in all of our accomplishments.

Looking through the windshield, I notice how the road ahead tapers off as I near my temporary destination. However, the endless stretch of road that lay untouched remains a blank palette, which can be filled at any time.

“The destination is ahead on your right. You have arrived,” says the voice from the personal navigation unit. I find myself at the beginning of another year, where I will obtain the colors to splash upon the blank palette of the road I encounter next on my journey. I cannot embark on my journey without first breathing in the crisp ocean air around me, and exhale the realization that I am in for a great year.