Balanced Delirium

My year so far in a nutshell:

January: Back to school! Woo!
February: Visited my person of intense romantic interest in Ohio... 'twas a happy Valentine's day.
March: More school...
April: ...more school... BUT WAIT! Internship? I say yes!
May: End of the school semester. Man, time flies...

And now, in just over a week, I am about to embark on my seven month internship at the place where dreams come true: Disney World.

Fact: I've never been to Disney World. Or Florida. Heck, I've never even SEEN the Gulf Coast... or been in an airplane... or lived more than 50 miles from home for longer than a month at a time. This may sound pathetic to you... you might be thinking, "Dude, you need to get out more!" (Go ahead... think it. I'm not mad... actually, I think I'll join you in that thought.)

I'm the first to admit, I need to get out more. As a photographer, travel is one of the greatest assets to my abilities -- it's fun to take photos of things, but it's WAY more fun to take photos of new things in new places. Thus, this will be a good step for building my photography portfolio.

While this seven month Disney World venture is definitely full of firsts for this aspiring photographer, it also comes with some familiarity. Not only do I know some people in Florida, but also I will be joined in my internship with a very close friend of mine from college who will be interning during the same time period as me. I suppose you could say we're Disney intern buddies... we plan to look out for each other during our time at Disney World. Think of it as a "Pumbaa and Timon" thing... but don't try to figure too much out from that analogy. ("So... which one of you is Pumbaa? ha-haa...")

Currently my mind is swirling with information. What to pack... what NOT to pack... what I'll need, what I won't need... what I MIGHT need... what to buy now, what to buy later...

It's crazy. But, amid the furious thoughts and qualms of uncertainty, I feel a peace. God's hand is in this. Out of a sizable pool of applicants from my school, only I and one of my closest friends were chosen for this internship. I feel it's no coincidence, and I am certain that I've been entrusted with this internship for a reason. My recruiter prayed with me and my friend about our future Disneyness, and he prayed that we would bring our light to Disney and show the love of Jesus to everyone we meet there. When he said that, I was floored, and I just sat there for a moment thinking about it. What an opportunity this is, not only to get Disney on my resumé, but also to impact people there... to leave an impression! Leading me to my next thought:

What will that impression be?

I love to think of life as an epic journey made up of many smaller journeys along the way. There are many opportunities and obstacles that life will throw at me as I am taking this journey... and my decisions will either lead me down the same path, or bring me to new places along the way. Think of it as an awesome road trip across America that snakes around to hit lots of cool places along the way...

On this amazing journey called my life, there have been downs... breakups, breakdowns, overhauls, and times when I have felt completely alone and lost. (Admitted, these are usually times when I refuse to listen to my GPS [God].) But there have also been many things that have helped me immensely, such as my parents, mentors, and a little college in Bourbonnais, Illinois where I learned many life lessons outside of the classrooms and met amazing individuals who have shaped me and taught me more than I can even try to wrap my head around. Looking back, I see how far I've come... how many miles I've traveled, and each little bump along the way that has helped me to grow and mature as an individual. Yet, looking ahead now, I see no end to the possibilities that loom ahead, and how many paths branch from the road to Disney.

What does the future hold for me? Only God can know. But man, it's gonna be a heck of a ride, and I know I don't want to miss it.

Also, the future had DARN better include hoverboards.


**snap crackle pop**

- Andy