That Girl
Sydney Nicole West
The most common question children are asked is, “What do you want to
be when you grow up?” Throughout my childhood I responded with
numerous occupations. Of course at first it was a princess. What
little girl wouldn’t want to wear pretty dresses and a sparkly tiara
on her head? As the years progressed there was a mail delivery lady,
spy, marine biologist, lunch lady, journalist, photographer, and even
magazine editor. Don’t ask how I made the jump from secret spy to
school lunch lady, I honestly have no idea. But during each of these
stages there was always a desire, a longing. It seems that as I’ve
grown older the questions has ever so slightly transformed from, “What
do you want to be?” to “What do you want to do?”
Truthfully, at this point in my life, I am not sure what I want to do,
but I am certain in the type of person I want to be. First and
foremost, I want to be a woman who is rooted in Christ. To be consumed
with the creator rather than things created. May I be able to stand
firm in my faith and his light shine through me. I hope to live in a
way that glorifies God to my greatest capability. For I know that he
has a plan and purpose for my life that will ultimately prevail. I
also believe that nothing is worth it if you aren’t happy. So when
people ask me what I want to be when I grow up, I am going to answer,
“Happy.” I do not want to waste my one life, on this incredible earth,
being anything less than that. We have endless sights to see, sounds
to hear, food to taste, and people to surround ourselves with. I am
determined to be a woman that treasures time, and to capture the
moments that turn into memories all too quickly.
I want to be a woman who is beautiful. Not necessarily beautiful in
looks or what I say, but in who I am. To be strong, not by what I can
do, but by what I have and will overcome. To be able to speak my mind
in the most eloquent way, but to also listen intently when my ears are
needed more than my tongue. To be a woman who cares for and encourages
others to the best of my ability.
Finally, I aim to be a woman who never forgets that there is beauty in
simplicity. I was a young girl in pigtails and frilly socks when the
stars cast their spell on me; to this day I can gaze up at a starry
night sky for hours mystified by their beauty. I delight in watching
the lightning crack across the sky, and then drifting to sleep by the
pitter patter of rain. I consider a good laugh and a long nap the cure
for anything. And the embrace of a hug can bestow indescribable
comfort. Or, how when there is a fogged window, I can’t help but draw
a smiley face on it. How at the beach the wind plays with your hair,
and the sand squishes in between your toes as the waves sneak along
the shore. It is so simple, yet so beautiful.
Diane von Furstenburg once said, “I didn’t always know what I wanted
to do, but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be.” I do not know
what I want to do or where I’m going, but I know I am going. I want to
be a woman that makes an impact on your day, and that when I’m gone
people will say, “My life has changed since I met her.”
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