Job Searching and The Rainbow Fish.

MAY IS ALREADY NEXT WEEK!!!

Wow!  Can't believe how fast this entire year has gone!  From traveling around the country, applying to schools, and spending time with some pretty great people, I don't know where it has all gone.

This past week, as I was preparing for my last choir concert, I was thinking about a text we have been singing in Concert Choir, honoring the life of John F. Kennedy.  After his death, Jackie Kennedy gave John's brother, Robert, these lyrics from Romeo and Juliet to read at the Democratic National Convention.
"When he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars.
And he will make the face of heaven so fine.
That all the world will be in love with the night."

As I thought about this text, I thought about one of my favorite children's books, THE RAINBOW FISH!!!  If you haven't read it, you are missing out.  I would give you a brief synopsis, but this cute old man (the author) can read you it instead:

The moral of the story comes down to this line in the book, when the rainbow fish asks the octopus for help.  The Rainbow Fish refuses to share his beautiful fins with the other fish in the ocean, but the octopus gives him a hard dose of the truth.  "You will no longer be the most beautiful fish in the sea, but you will discover how to be happy." As a child, I remember thinking "WOAH, THAT FISH IS SO COOL. I WANT ONE!!!!"  But now I seem to think of it much more attentively and realistically as a 23 year old adult about to graduate.  I found a picture of the Rainbow Fish at Savers about a year ago and it has been hanging in my room ever since as a reminder for how to live my life each day.

While having many great things and looking good may give you a lot of happiness and praise in life, it is when you share parts of yourself with others that you truly see what is beautiful in the world.  I am such a kid at heart and I know it is cheesy, but I base my life around the story of The Rainbow Fish.  My life has been so enriched by other people sharing their wisdom and beauty with me, so I must move into the future striving to do the same.  Share my love and passion for the world with everyone that I meet and hope that others will continue to do that for me too! :)

As I sit at work tonight applying for jobs, I continue to think how lucky I am to have had so many great experiences that others have given to me.   Awesome mentors on campus, internship opportunities that really just fell in my lap, and SO many supportive people who want to see me succeed. While I know that I have done a few things a long the way to get my degree, I feel like so much of my experience here has been shaped by those who have given of themselves to me. I can't imagine where my life would be without the selfless help of others and I am so grateful for the place that I am at right now. 

While hunting for a job is frustrating and time consuming, I am trying to remain positive about the whole thing.  Finding my dream job might not be something that will happen in the next month, but I know that I want to find something that makes me happy.  A career that will allow me to use my passion for helping others and share the beauty of the world with them too. 

To all of the fish out there who have shared their love and wisdom with me, thank you. I hope that in the future, I can do the exact same for others that you have done for me.

Enjoy every moment.
MQ