“Sometimes questions are more important than answers.”  ~Nancy Willard

There’s one question that I’ve heard countless of times in the past year. As time moves forward, it feels like I’m hearing the question more and more. I get frustrated because I honestly don’t know the exact answer to this question:

“What do you want to do after you graduate?”

Ummm, well I do know that I don’t want to live at home with my parents.

I do know that I want to further my education and attend school somewhere other than Maui.

I do know that I want to be happy and healthy.

I do know that I don’t want to be beyond broke in the next five years.

But these answers don’t directly answer the question that’s being asked.

The fact is, I’m not sure what I want to do after I graduate. I’m only seventeen, but I feel like I have to know what I’m doing with my life and what I want to be in this world. It seems like everyone else has it figured out. So why don’t I?

Maybe, I can’t figure it out because there isn’t just one thing I want to pursue after graduating. I have a list full of dreams and wishes that I want to fulfill.

I’m a big dreamer because my parents raised me to be. They told me that I could be whatever I want to be, as long as I’m happy.

So I think to myself, “Well, there’s a lot of things that make me happy!”

I got to the point where I wanted to answer, “I don’t know. I’m too young to know.”

Then I realized that saying that would make me sound like I don’t want to do anything with my life after high school.

So, thanks to everyone who asked. Now I know that there isn’t just one answer for this question…but many.

A question so simple has an answer so complex. I learned that a question that you can’t immediately answer is a question to remember.

Now, when someone asks me what I want to do after I graduate, I can answer, “I’ll do what will make me happy.”

I can see it there, just eight months away. It’s my future, it’s my life, it’s my decisions.

This may not be the straightforward answer people are looking for, but by following my happiness, I see a bright, successful and exciting future ahead of me, so bring on the questions. I’m ready.

I think.