Claiming Your Unknown

by Anna Erickson

“Look at you, you’re young. And you're scared, and you're scared to be scared.” 
 
 So you’re afraid of your own fear and uncertainty. You’re supposed to know the answer to “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Why do you think they start asking so young? Remember in kindergarten when you went around the room and said what you wanted to be. Eyes filled with glimmer as some exclaimed, “I wanna be a firefighter!” But we didn’t know really, it was suggested; choices dangled in front of chubby palms and we were told to chose one. If you ask me, I’ll tell you a scramble of “sounds good” words, but I don’t know, I haven’t known, I don’t know yet, when will I know? So paralyzed, starless nights laying on my back contemplation of the uncertainty of my future. Thinking “I’m not enough” for my own future, wow well damn then, is this really your own future? See, what you’ve got to realize is when you future is outlined and preached in the hands of  parents, guidance counselors, statistics, and scores it no longer is your future; it's you walking in a path someone sets. A place where the preacher either sketches a future for you ordinarily the one that they had, or the one they were never able to achieve. Stop being scared of fulfilling someone else's future for you. A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work. Be solely who you are, let fear vanish. Your future is yours alone. You are more than qualified, ready, and worthy of it because in fact it is yours and no one else's. Your life, your struggles, your fears, your flaws, your tears, your love, your whole future is no ones else's but yours. Claim yourself. This life is yours only darling, let go and live.