As a child, I was not the most “coordinated” of kids. If anything, I was pretty accident prone. My parents would always tell me: “watch your step”. And of course as most children, despite how much this mantra was drilled into my head, I never really obeyed it. I was easily excitable, my mind moving just as fast as my feet. Along the way I fell many a time, tripping easily on cracks, missing steps on stairways, getting my feet wet or dirty in puddles and mud. All of these things so easily avoidable had I only listened to my parents’ advice.

These days, I live close to my college campus, so I find myself walking quite a bit on a daily basis. On these walks, I’ve realized that going through life is much like going on a long walk. And if that’s the case, I think I’ll continue to avoid my parents’ warnings. 

Why? Well, when you constantly are watching your step through life, you find yourself looking at more dirt than anything else. Sure, you’ll be safe, but you’ll completely miss the beauty of the world around you. I prefer to keep my head looking up and in the clouds. May I stumble? Of course. However, I never let myself wander to places so far where I will be unable to get up again.

Along the way, yeah I’ll get a little bit dirty, I may accumulate bumps, cuts, and bruises. However, I’d much rather go through life’s little falls and see the world’s beauty and what may lay ahead than keeping my head down and seeing only what is at my feet.