Do what you love

Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love
and believe in, and it will come naturally. ~David Frost

Last week was a surprising one.

I received the Excellence in Journalism award during our communication and theatre arts party/banquet/get-together (as Ms. Worthington called it). However, that's not all.

For me, a big shocker came at the end when I was handed the 2010 Curtis S. Brown Outstanding Senior in Communication Arts award. It completely shocked me.

Being a quiet person suits me. I prefer to do the behind-the-scenes work rather than be out on stage. The attention is what freaks me out, I think. In fact, my high school friends and I (the big dreamers that we were) always joked about what job we would have if one of us had the opportunity to become president. Is it any wonder I chose speech writer?

Back in our cozy little office is the place where I tend to hide the most. That's probably why I think no one realizes I exist. (This is meant in a good way, as I don't like the attention.) Obviously, I'm not as invisible as I like to think.

To me, working on the paper isn't really work. Sure, we stress over every issue and every article and, yes, we all breathe a sigh of relief when it gets here, however to me it isn't work. I enjoy the stress, I feed off of the anxieties. Being a procrastinator by nature, stress becomes me. That's the part I live off of. So, to me, the 'hard part' isn't trying to get the paper out.

Truthfully, I'm not sure what I would call the difficult part. Perhaps that's because I truly enjoy it.

When they said my name, it completely caught me off-guard. I think the shock registered on my face. And I know I said, "Oh my gosh," which caused my sister-in-law to start laughing.

In my mind, there are many other seniors who would have been more deserving of this award. There are others who work much harder, earn better grades and seem like they should have won. In fact, I'm still not sure how I managed it.

Perhaps Frost is right. I wasn't aiming for any awards or recognition. I was just doing my job. A job that I thoroughly enjoy and doesn't even feel like work. A job that makes me happy.

Maybe that's what success in life truly is. Finding whatever it is that makes you happy and doing it. Even if you never get rich, you at least enjoy your life along the way. That's a lesson I think we can all learn.

"P.S. I Love You" is quite possibly one of my favorite movies. It's one of those that most people either really enjoy or really hate.

Throughout the movie, the main woman is simply trying to be happy again. She suddenly lost the love of her life and, with the help of some interesting events, begins to figure out what is really important in life. At the end of the movie is one of my favorite quotes, which sums up everything she's realized along the way.

This is my one and only life and it's a great and terrible and short and endless
thing and none of us come out of it alive. --P.S. I Love You

At first glance, this may seem a bit morbid. But the more you think about it, the more real it becomes.

When we reach the end of our lives, we shouldn't be looking back with regrets. You can't take anything with you and those "things I should have done" are of no worth. This is just the hippie in me, but I'm determined to do that thing which I truly enjoy.

I know that there is no such thing as perfect and bad things can still happen no matter how happy you may attempt to be. However, the control is still in our hands. I can choose to do what makes me happy, even if I'm as poor as a church mouse. Because money isn't everything.

And I can be spontaneous, because life is short. (I said spontaneous, not crazy--nothing that purposefully endangers someone.)

If I want, I can sneak into prom and swing dance. And, I can dye my hair blue.