What’s next? You have a dream and you really want to go for it, to succeed, but you have no idea where to start. Oh, well, maybe you have a few ideas or a million ideas, but choosing one seems nearly impossible. You just wish someone would tell you, push you out of the nest or off of that rocky cliff you find yourself on and all of a sudden you will soar. Is it that easy?
I ran across this poem I wrote in that horrible season of my life when I was a senior in college. Everyone was asking “the” question. I hated “the” question because I had no answers to “What are you going to do when you graduate?” This poem I share in honor of all the college seniors and other seniors in various stages of life who wonder what to do next.
Young robin
Teach me how to fly, please,
I am only a baby robin, you see?
I’ve no idea how to start.
Do I spread my wings first?
Or do I simply stand while The North wind sails me away?
If I totter on the very edge of the precipice
Will it just come to me? Will I know how?
Should I soak my wings in water?
Should I eat twenty worms?
Should I seek advice from older birds?
Should I wait until I feel I’m ready to fly?
Should I just walk along until one day I just start flying instead of hopping?
There must be more than that,
Perhaps a formula or a step-by-step plan?
Maybe a flying school for baby robins?
I’ll bet I’m not the only one who’s wondered how to fly.
Oh, teach me to fly, please.
I’m only a baby robin, you see?
I’ve no idea how to start.
Jump, Baby Bird.
I can’t.
Jump, My Child.
I’ll
f
a
l
l.
Jump, or never fly at all.
Teresa Shields Parker is a Christian weight loss author, coach, podcaster, and speaker, who has lost 250 pounds and kept it off since 2013. Her books include: “Reconnecting Jayne: Her Sister’s Support,” “Rebuilding Jayne: Her Father’s Protection,” “Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds and Stopped Trying to Earn God’s Favor,” “Sweet Grace Study Guide,” “Sweet Victory: Winning the Battle,” “Sweet Surrender: Breaking Strongholds,” “Sweet Journey to Transformation: Practical Steps to Lose Weight and Live Healthy”, “Sweet Freedom: Losing Weight and Keeping It Off With God’s Help,” “Sweet Freedom Study Guide,” “Sweet Change: True Stories of Transformation,” “Sweet Hunger: Developing an Appetite for God,” and “Sweet Excuses: Stop Lying to Yourself & Start Losing Weight.” She also offers Overcomers Christian Weight Loss Academy and VIP intensive coaching. Don’t miss her weekly podcast, Sweet Grace for Your Journey, where she shares tips from her personal journey of losing weight and discovering healthy living. Contact her at [email protected].
I will jump.
I believe you may have already jumped, because what I know of you I experience you as flying.
Do the 5-minute people send an email or you have to go there every Friday?
Never mind, I figured it out. :)
Nice post, Teresa! Choosing to jump today! God bless you~
Yes Jump! No better plan!
I love the poem. I’m way past that tender graduate age and still wishing I could fly. I assumed one day I’d get it together enough to take the leap and sore with my writing. Now that I’ve been diagnosed with cancer (http://paulblais.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-next-thing.html) I feel two things- 1 it’s time. 2 it may be too late. Your last line said it so well, “Jump, or never fly at.”
Thank you for sharing.
Paul Blais
Paul it’s never too late. I am working on a book about my 250-pound weight loss. Going back through my journals makes me wonder why it took so long. Sometimes it makes me want to stop because my journey wasn’t fast and painless. Paul, you are a gift to yourself and others and so is your writing. Write on!
Teresa, thanks for the encouragement. I jumped in these past 4 months. I started a podcast called Doubt The Doubts. It is currently sitting at #1 in iTunes New & Noteworthy under Business, Education, and Health/Self Help. Thanks for the encouragement.
Good for you you, Paul!