My Personal Legend

I’ve been thinking a lot!!!!!!

My current note to self: Every season of life comes with different weather. When we pray for patience, God gives us opportunities to be patient.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately, some days more than others. Especially Mondays for some reason. I’ve noticed that my thoughts are more complex when i’m alone or sitting with not much to do. (There have been many days where I have been alone, sitting, with not much to do). The thing is, I’ve really been trying to get to the bottom of this balance between being content where I am, dreaming about what is to come, and what I really desire. It’s pretty challenging, considering the two are pretty conflicting of one another. My dreams about the near future won’t leave my brain alone. And it’s probably not the future you think it is.

Hint: It doesn’t include anything synonymous to the word “corporate”.

I want to see the world.

I want to see the world while I have the time.

I’m not sure why I have this urgency that I only have right now to do everything I need to achieve in my whole lifetime. I’ve just come to understand that life is unpredictable and tomorrow is never promised. Why plan to live in the future when we can live right now? I can not get over this thought. It is engrained into my brain, heart, and soul. I want to travel, experience new cultures, new people, new places… God has given us this beautiful earth to experience, I want to experience it!

There are a few reasons as to why I think I have this urgency. But two are for certain.

First, God. My relationship with the Lord and the value I have found through His teachings urge me to experience the life I desire without hesitation. For it is He who created me and planted the seeds of the desires of my heart.
Second, loss. I learned the hard way that life is short and we are not promised tomorrow. I learned the hard way that you can’t always tell someone you love them. I learned the hard way that we must appreciate the days that we have now, while we have the chance. I lost my little sister, Faith, 3 days before my 18th birthday. I experienced an unpredictable extreme loss that was completely out of my hands. My world was flipped upside down. I lost a constant in my life with zero explanation, preparation, or anticipation. She was the kindest, sweetest, happiest, and smiliest soul i’ve ever known. Despite what she went through, she held the joy of a child. Innocent, pure, and peaceful. She taught me true love, understanding, compassion, empathy. My parents devotion to her taught me unconditional love, devotion, sacrifice, patience, and gentleness. My sister changed my life before she left, and the absence of my sister continues to change my life. It has shifted my perspective on everything. You can never prepare for sudden and unpredictable loss in your life in any capacity. Tomorrow is not promised for us or anyone that we love. We must love one another, as God commands us, and understand that our time here is not guaranteed. It sounds scary, but you find that when reality hits you right in the face; it’s real.

I recently read The Alchemist, a novel centered on a young Spanish shepherd named Santiago who longs to travel the world. Though comfortable managing his flock across the beautiful region of Andalusia, his peace is disrupted by a recurring dream. In it, a child urges him to seek a hidden treasure near the Egyptian Pyramids. An annoyed Santiago consults a gypsy, who validates the dream's truth simply because a child directed him, though she cannot offer specific answers. Shortly after, he meets a mysterious king who introduces him to the concept of a "Personal Legend". The king explains that while everyone has a destiny, few possess the courage to pursue it because society often deems their dreams unrealistic.

What is a Personal Legend? In The Alchemist, a Personal Legend is a person's absolute destiny and ultimate purpose in life, originating directly from the Soul of the World. It represents your deepest, most authentic desire, which is usually understood clearly during childhood before societal fears and responsibilities cloud your vision. When you commit to pursuing this destiny, the universe actively conspires to help you succeed by placing guiding omens along your path. However, achieving it requires overcoming massive obstacles, including the fear of failure and the guilt of success. Ultimately, the true value of realizing a Personal Legend is not the physical treasure found at the end of the journey. Instead, it is the profound spiritual transformation and self-discovery you experience by choosing to answer the calling.

This is the thought that won’t leave me alone. That is my deepest and most authentic desire that I am afraid of pursuing because society says that’s not realistic: Experiencing the world. Many people feel encouraged by the world to pursue the traditional path of the fairytale American Dream. That’s how society works, anyways. Go to school, go to college, get a degree, get a job, save money, find a partner, buy a house, have children, continue working, work, work, retire, and then you’re 75.

When I hear words like “real world”, “real job”, and “real life” and I sigh. This isn’t life-giving. Sitting at a 9 to 5 so that I can pay bills does not give me life.

Also let me be clear.

By “experiencing the world” I don’t mean that I want to go on vacations.

I don’t desire to just “go on vacation”. As ignorant as it may sound, I don’t want to go to an all inclusive resort in Cancun. I don’t want to drink piña coladas, sit by the pool, and have people serve me. It’s not like that. I want to go to Machu Picchu, hike, try new foods, pet animals, camp. I want to go to Africa, serve, minister, and work with children. I want to go to on mission trips, give love, rebuild homes and churches. I want to go to Thailand, experience the unique lifestyle and culture. I want to go to Greece, volunteer to work with a sailing company, work at markets, learn about local vendors and families. I want to take on an AuPair opportunity, nanny for a family with 6 kids near the Dolomite Mountains in Italy. I want to backpack Europe, stay in hostels, learn the stories and testimonies of strangers, find the best coffee in every small town, paint, collect scrap book pages, and read new books.

That’s the “travel” I desire to experience.

That’s it.

I want to do it, and I'm going to do it. I'm just figuring out exactly how. I'm sitting on a stepping stone right now. I can feel it. It is essential, though. That's the “being content where you are now” part. In order to get to where you want to be, you must come from somewhere else. I think I'm that somewhere else, but I want to make this a peaceful place for myself as well. There is a lot to embrace and appreciate here, now. After all, here and now is all I have that is guaranteed. Full ironic moment acknowledged.

07.28.2025 6:41pm | I’ll leave it at that for now.