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New Chapter in Life

Everything in your life happens for a reason. There is a higher power at play and as most of us have goals set and path we want to take in life. There are no certain roads to success. The potholes are plentiful, the roadblocks are abundant and the roadkill you try to avoid could feed a third world country. This is the case with me and my life right now. If you told me 2 months ago I would be finding an apartment in Fort Worth and preparing for a new job, I would have called you crazy. Yet I have started a new job and have an apartment in Fort Worth.
Everyone’s life has a story made up of many different chapters. Each chapter has its own twists and turns. Sometimes they are sad, sometimes they are happy, and others are just horrific. Then there are those chapters that have everything under the sun! Closing a chapter of your life is good. It shows growth, forward progress and even goals being achieved.
                I recently closed a chapter of my life and started a new one. I took a new job in a new city. The commute is 45 minutes longer than my previous job and I really do not want to be on the road that much each day. This is always a scary time, you are unsure of what is ahead, excited for what might be, you are also a bit sad for the comfort level you are leaving in the past. A dear friend told me that they could not handle all the uncertainty and upheaval. They talked about having no roots. Well, roots run deep for everyone. Our roots might take us from the oil fields of Odessa to the Gulf Coast of Texas. The thing about life is if you put your mind to it, you can move your roots to anywhere you want them to be and let yourself achieve new growth. The key is to always provide the proper nutrition to your mind, body and soul for that growth.
                We all know when you prune a tree or plants, new growth can be bigger and better than ever before. This is can be considered a new chapter. There is a new beginning that allows new chapters, new opportunities and even new adventures. In 1978 my parents bought a farm in Sadler, Texas. They decided to set down roots. It was a wonderful time in our lives and it brought many great memories plus life long friendships. Before that time though, both my parents lived in many different areas, states, and seemed to be all over the map. They planted their roots with a vision in Sadler, Texas.
                As time went on that vision grew and evolved. By the time my nephews were born my parents had a different perspective and outlook. It was being as close to those grandkids that drove their desire. They knew their chapter in life had changed and they were ready to change with it knowing the new adventures that lied ahead. The plan was to sell the place in Sadler and move to Pottsboro. We started searching for land closer to the grandkids and selling off parts the farm in Sadler. All in the hopes of finding the right place closer to those two gems.  
                As usual life happened. It took a toll on our family as we said goodbye to two of its most beautiful members. Pretty soon the focus changed, and the outlook was different. The only exception was not if we move to Pottsboro, to when we move to Pottsboro. Luckily keeping a strong faith and staying the path doing what is right, that move to Pottsboro was achieved. We did it in the nick of time to be close to two young men who mean the world to us and help them through some of the toughest times they could ever experience. This was a chapter in my life where I do not want to go back, yet I am glad where I have arrived.
                As time goes on, we do not get to choose the chapters of our lives. We do not get the options to make it all rainbows and unicorns. We learn as we get older to take the good with the bad. Turning the page is important progress. Closing a chapter is a breakthrough in terms of life achievements.
                When we get older we must cherish each day, not only because life is too short, but because we only have one life to live. The next chapter in my life will bring many scary times, I am sure some tears and heartache, while hopefully reaching for those long-term goals. There could be big moves involved, more loss or even a lot of defeat. The wonderful part about it is, no matter where I land, there will always be a part of me in the last place. You see when you uproot and move, it is inevitable that you leave a little piece of you behind.
                The next chapter of my life has yet to be written, it’s hasn’t been for you either. I know there are people from all over this country that we can reach out too and probably will when needed. We should always have that fear of what is ahead, yet never fear to continue to move forward to what might be our destiny. That is what drives each of us to be successful and do more with our lives. Weather we breed dogs, start a new business or start making the agriculture industry great again. Remember, life is too short to sit on the sidelines. Get out there and get your hands dirty, sling a little mud and have fun.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!” 
― 
Hunter S. ThompsonThe Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967

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