The most common question children are asked is, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Throughout my childhood I responded with numerous occupations. Of course at first it was a princess. What little girl wouldn’t want to wear pretty dresses and a sparkly tiara on her head? As the years progressed there was a mail delivery lady, spy, marine biologist, lunch lady, journalist, photographer, and even magazine editor. Don’t ask how I made the jump from secret spy to school lunch lady, I honestly have no idea. But during each of these stages there was always a desire, a longing. It seems that as I’ve grown older the questions has ever so slightly transformed from, “What do you want to be?” to “What do you want to do?”

Truthfully, at this point in my life, I am not sure what I want to do, but I am certain in the type of person I want to be. First and foremost, I want to be a woman who is rooted in Christ. To be consumed with the creator rather than things created. May I be able to stand firm in my faith and his light shine through me. I hope to live in a way that glorifies God to my greatest capability. For I know that he has a plan and purpose for my life that will ultimately prevail. I also believe that nothing is worth it if you aren’t happy. So when people ask me what I want to be when I grow up, I am going to answer, “Happy.” I do not want to waste my one life, on this incredible earth, being anything less than that. We have endless sights to see, sounds to hear, food to taste, and people to surround ourselves with. I am determined to be a woman that treasures time, and to capture the moments that turn into memories all too quickly.

I want to be a woman who is beautiful. Not necessarily beautiful in looks or what I say, but in who I am. To be strong, not by what I can do, but by what I have and will overcome. To be able to speak my mind in the most eloquent way, but to also listen intently when my ears are needed more than my tongue. To be a woman who cares for and encourages others to the best of my ability.

Finally, I aim to be a woman who never forgets that there is beauty in simplicity. I was a young girl in pigtails and frilly socks when the stars cast their spell on me; to this day I can gaze up at a starry night sky for hours mystified by their beauty. I delight in watching the lightning crack across the sky, and then drifting to sleep by the pitter patter of rain. I consider a good laugh and a long nap the cure for anything. And the embrace of a hug can bestow indescribable comfort. Or, how when there is a fogged window, I can’t help but draw a smiley face on it. How at the beach the wind plays with your hair, and the sand squishes in between your toes as the waves sneak along the shore. It is so simple, yet so beautiful.

Diane von Furstenburg once said, “I didn’t always know what I wanted to do, but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be.” I do not know what I want to do or where I’m going, but I know I am going. I want to be a woman that makes an impact on your day, and that when I’m gone people will say, “My life has changed since I met her.”