The Doors

"Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens." Whenever one door closes, it is another end of a chapter in the great book of life. Whenever one door closes, it means the death of one experience, but only to lead to the birth of a new one. Perhaps the chapter was like a fairytale story straight from a Disney movie, or a hellish nightmare you couldn't wait to wake up from. Either way, they both lead to the same fate. And either way you move on, ready to open that new door.
Tomorrow I will be closing a door in my life. Closing the door on my high school cross-country season, writing the final page of another chapter in my life. I will run the last 5k race with my team. Tomorrow I will stand at the starting line, with my best friends to the left and right of me, all of us looking at the feat ahead of us. For myself and my three fellow senior teammates, it will be the last race of our high school cross-country season ever. Standing in our Indian pride of red and white, all of us chasing our dreams of faster times, passing new and old competition, running to our final finish line, ready to give it our all. Our high school dreams coming true. What was once a wish upon a star will become reality on October 27, 2007.

It is a true terrifying tale to know that the chapter you have been writing for the past four years will be finished, and that a new chapter is waiting to be begin. Yet you don't know what it is going to be about. Perhaps school, or a job, or love, or family and friendships, etc. You don't know what's behind that closed door. You just know that you have to open. And it may not be just one door. Perhaps there are several. And you have to take the courage in picking one of those doors, turn one of the handles, and see what is waiting on the other side.

I think it's a blessing to be given the chance to have this new opportunity ahead of me. To have the opportunity to "grow up" and find out what is waiting ahead in life for me. Where this journey will take me, where I might end up. Sure it's a scary, nerve-racking, "what the heck am I doing?" type of feeling, but it's one I will never get to experience again. When will I be given another chance to really see what is out there waiting for me? To get to follow my dreams and find out if they come true? Perhaps never. So I'm very blessed with this new door waiting to be open, I know it is a rare opportunity that is precious to finally come to.

But it doesn't mean I'm afraid to close this door behind me. It doesn't mean I won't miss cross-country, my team, my coach, the races, the running. Of course I will miss it. I already bought my water-proof mascara to wear specifically for my tears tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be closing a door, but I will be loving every minute of it. Enjoying every precious moment I will be blessed with. I've always heard "Run like it's your last race" and I have tried to apply that to every race I've ever ran. Tomorrow that saying will not be just a motivational saying, but the actual truth. Tomorrow I will get to run my last race. And God knows I will love every moment of it.