Throughout my life, I have held a thirst for adventure and a love of culture. I think it most likely started as a result of living in the south of France for part of my childhood. My parents brought me up in a way that always encouraged venturing outside of my comfort zone, trying new things, and getting the most out of every experience. We gallivanted throughout Europe, dueled with wooden swords in the midst of ruined castles, traversed mountain trails, constructed igloos in the French Alps, and interacted with peoples from a variety of different cultures and backgrounds. Fantasies and stories of princes and princesses from foreign lands and the dangerous quests of daring heroes filled my childhood, instilling in me a love of exploration and adventure.
This sense of wonder at the world around me has never left. To me, the world is like a storybook. Different locations and times represent chapters filled with daring adventures and heroic escapades, if only we take the time and have the initiative to explore them. It can be so easy to forget that ancient kings and queens once trod on the very roads that we now take to the grocery store every day. Explorers first blazed trails where suburban houses now stand. The skies, once unreachable, are now filled with today’s travelers. Stars, once lonely and wrapped in mystery, are now joined by explorers and decoded by technology. Thus, our story continues, and the mysteries of today will be the history of tomorrow.
These stories of our world however, are not all simply the quests of heroes. There are stories of love, joy, peace, and friendship, and of sorrow, sadness, war, and solitude. Everyday tasks and snapshots of life fill the in-between of each adventure and serve to shape those who go on to make history. The first laugh of a child and the tears of family as a loved one passes away shape an individual just as the conquest of a nation and the first man on the moon shape the history books. The grand adventures may be the highlights, but they are surrounded by the making of breakfast in the morning, taking dogs for a walk, playing games with family, dinner with loved ones, and precious time with dear friends. I am defined by not only my adventures, but also by the time I spend with my loving family and closest friends, my worldview is defined by my faith, and my decisions are founded in these beliefs and my morals.
The story of the world, therefore, is a story of stories. Every person is a character and has their own tale to tell, and each moment in history is backed by dozens of these tales. Though one story may be more recognized and retold, none are any less important than another. Every conqueror was once a helpless babe in need of care. Every great leader once ran to their mothers with a scraped knee. Artists had muses, authors had inspirations, and scientists were students.
This perspective of a wonder filled world, whether great or seemingly small, leads me to appreciate my surroundings and their potential. It keeps me turning corner after corner, speculating about what lies just ahead. I strive to grasp every opportunity, chase every adventure, savor every calm, and brave every storm. For what may appear to be merely a small occurrence could have magnificent repercussions for all I know about the future. I view my life as a story that is mostly yet to be written, and it is my aim to make it a wondrous one.
Hannah Holman