When I moved into an apartment of my own I had my family over to celebrate. My grandmother sent my uncle and my brother to the car to get my gift. A few minutes later they walked in with a large hunter- green chest. “This,” my grandmother smiled “was my mother’s when she came from Ireland.” My aunt gave me a tray to put on top so I could use the chest as a coffee table. I hugged them both.
After I settled in, I sat and looked at the chest in the center of the room. Tiny bits of green paint were chipping off and the lock was broken. It still was the most beautiful thing in the house. I began to think how incredible it was that a whole life fit in this one container. When I moved I considered whether I needed to put anything in storage; storage wasn’t an option for my great-grandmother.
A few years later it came time for me to make a decision; to take a great job opportunity several states away or stay at home where my friends, family, and everything I knew and loved was. I thought of my great- grandmother. She took a leap of faith that she would find a better life. And if she didn’t, at least she would know that she tried. Sometimes in life you need to take a step off the ledge even if you can’t see what’s below. Either you find a landing there, or perhaps even better, you learn how to fly.
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