My Voice!

In spring of '95 I took an Intro to Engineering class at the University of Oklahoma. The name of the professor slips my mind, but I remember his odd homework assignment. He told us to read the Dr. Seuss's Oh, The Places You'll Go! I liked Dr. Seuss. You know all the favorites like Green Eggs and Ham, Cat in the Hat, and The Grinch that Stole Christmas. I read them as a small child. I refused to read that book for an Engineering class. What did that have to do with anything? I questioned silently. There were 10 questions about the book on the final exam. I made a B. Wow! I never mad a B in this class. My professor came up to me and told me that I would have had an A if I read the book. He told me that he would allow me to take that part over if I read the book. Since I knew I would get an "A" for reading a children's book, I went to the library and read the book. It was one of the best books I've ever read. That Dr. Seuss was a genius.

Years later I was in Barnes & Noble with a friend of mine, and I told her about the book and what it meant to me. We left the bookstore, and she presented the book to me. She scribed in the book, "May the friends you meet along your journey continue to inspire you..." I still have this book. Those words resonate even today. I have friends that came in my life for whatever reason (season, lifetime). I have some friends that I do not know what I would do without their love, support and open honesty. Our friendships are co-dependent. We understand that we have to shoulder some bs (emotional, financial, spiritual) for the other. We do it without a problem because we love each other unconditionally. No barriers. No walls. We take each other with flaw and all. I really didn't want to quote Beyonce, but so be it.

Oh, the places I've been. I've thought about my personal journey that lead me to the University of Oklahoma. I think about all the decisions I've made. My grandmother used to say, "You are exactly where you need to be in life, for God has a plan." I talk to God every day. I rarely have been still to listen though. I have to learn to be still and receive the Divine. I continuously want to move, but all of the answers are there. I just have to listen and act accordingly. This transparency is to allow myself to show to the world that my feelings are valid. They are. I feel therefore I am. I am therefore I act. I act to give myself a voice.

My voice is...