This month has been very interesting to say the least. I have had many revelations, the first of which is concerning this blog. I have a confession to make: I feel horrible about my attendance with this blog. In all honesty, a lot of my current dreams started here, talking to you, figuring out what I wanted to really do with my life. It's not really right to keep you out of the loop just because time is short. So to that end, I am making a goal to post on this blog at least once a month, and somewhat comprehensively, though hopefully not dreadfully lengthy. Sometimes you need to go back to where it all started to see where you need to go, so maybe this decision will help provide some perspective.
So I mentioned the past month has been rather interesting. Well, brace yourself, because I think this is the part of my life story where things really start to speed up.
Well, for starters, I have finally finished prepping for the first CompTIA A+ exam, 220-801, and even went to far as to schedule the testing time at a local testing facility. Now, this is a rather big deal for me, as the entire journey so far has been self-taught, with the aid of various study materials (listed under the "Resources" section), which is rather new tactic for me.
To be able to say I am actually ready to take this exam honestly feels pretty surreal (which, as you will soon find out, has become a new favorite word of mine). I have been studying since the beginning of May, and I have easily clocked at least 100 hours of studying total (and that's a conservative estimate). I scheduled the exam for August 11, which if you refer to your calendar, was just a few weeks ago.
"Joe", you say, "if the exam was scheduled on August 11, surely you took and passed the exam, thereby getting halfway to being certified, right?" Oh what a clever observer you are. And you would normally be right. Except for one tiny little problem: less than a week after scheduling the exam, life happened in the worst of ways.
On August 6, 2015, my sister's fiance and friend of my family was tragically killed in a car wreck on his way home from grabbing take out for himself and a friend. He was less than a mile from home. Now, it has been my goal to typically leave personal, "unrelated to professional dreams" issues out of this blog, but I figure this is a good time to slightly bend that rule.
After that happened, I had no choice but to cancel the exam, no more than a day or two before I was to take it. The cruel irony: how can I really be mad about my inconvenience when my sister is only 25 and devastated over the loss of her love, something many people are lucky enough to only have to experience at twice her age. While helping her try to get through this, I have had a few realizations of my own that have been rather hard to take in.
Simply put, as mortal beings on this planet, we are granted no guarantees except a life and a death, and nothing more. The dream we all share is to be able to grow old and die in our homes, at peace with the world, having put to rest any quarrels and resolved any issues. But let's be honest: how likely is that to happen? Just look at the statistics. It is just as likely our lives could end in a car wreck, much like my sister's fiance, or any one of us could have a stroke, heart attack, etc. And we all know there are no warnings with things to that nature. We all hear the cliche "Well, you could die tomorrow. You could get hit by a bus when you walk outside. You could even have a piano fall on your head. You never know." But who really believes that's true? Just think about that. Earlier today, when you went out to get some Cheeto's and Mountain Dew (we all have our guilty pleasures), that could have been the last thing you ever did. You could have wrecked, or any number of other things. By the way, I'm glad that didn't happen. Just wanted you to know I'm looking out for you.
This has been a hard realization to come to terms with, but a necessary one. Its easy to let yourself get caught up in what you're doing, or just in the stress of life, when things are so hectic and there is much to be done. But remember, we only get one life, and we have to make it what we can. I don't know about you, but I'm not living for the afterlife. I want the best I can have now, and I'm willing to work for it. And that includes emotionally, intellectually, mentally.
My sister did actually teach me a lot through this. She showed me how to handle something like this with some dignity and grace. Through her horror and devastation, she has held up remarkably. At the funeral, she talked to every single person and consoled everyone she could. Watching my little sister act so mature in such a dark time was truly inspiring, and something I will take with me through my life. There is also something my sister can take from this experience, and you can take the same lesson as well. Her fiance called on his way home and asked what she wanted to eat. At the end of the call, she told him, "Be careful. I love you." Those were the last words he ever heard her say. And truthfully, what words are more fitting?
Okay, I kind of went past bending and just broke that rule. Sorry about that. Let's bring this full circle, shall we? This experience has given be a different outlook on life. While it's important to always try and strive for your goals, you should always make time for what's most important. The most important thing you can do, though, is always make sure those closest to you know how much you love them. Always value them, for they are who make you what you are. Always speak from the heart, and you can never be wrong.
