The future is awaiting us all. Lets see how we can make it the best possible.

1. Into The Great Unknown
TERRY SHADWELL
http://terryshadwell.blogspot.com/

2. Into The Great Unknown
We had a garage sale last week and we sold off a lot of our old furniture. While I was happy to see it
go, there was a little bit of sadness as well. Some of the stuff that went I had grown up will. I still
have memories of these pieces going back 30 years. Now I would be living a life without them, and
while it is only furniture, it still feels a little odd. However, while the past has that warm, safe
comforting feel attached to it, it’s not good enough to stop me from embracing the future.
You see, life is about change and bringing new people, items, and events into your life. It would be a
dull old world if nothing ever changed. Let me give you an example. I love music, and the music I
grew up with through the 80’s is some of my favourite. Yet if that was the only music I ever listened
to it would become very boring. New music is always great. I may not like all of it, but I never liked all
the stuff from the 80’s either.
I know it can be hard sometimes to embrace change, even if we have been waiting for it for a long
time. No matter how bright a future may seem it can be very scary. Letting go of everything we have
ever known, and walking into the unknown takes a lot of courage. However that should not be a
reason to deny your future.
After the fall of communism in the former USSR, many people were lost and disillusioned with the
idea of capitalism. In fact many people wanted to have communism reinstated. Why would anybody
want to go back to a dictatorship? Because it was all they ever knew. They had been spoon fed for
decades by the government that they didn’t know how to think and fend for themselves. They had
been supplied with food, shelter, water and even ideas that the sudden appearance of what we call
freedom was terrifying. They didn’t like communism, they just felt safer with what they knew.
So let’s stop fearing the future. It’s a complete and utter waste time. It’s about as useful as being
scared of the dark. What will happen will happen, however, you can take some steps to make your
future the way you want. Set goals, and start working towards them. Plan your moves and take
action. Things will sometimes go astray, but it’s how you respond to them that will make the
difference. The future is yours for the taking, you just have to be willing to reach out and grab it.
For Year 12 at Warren Central School, you now have the world at your feet. School may have been
great, but make me a promise that it will not be the best time of your life. You all have such long
lives to live, make each year better than the last. Don’t be afraid to do things you have never done
before or to go places you have never been. Take chances, explore all the possibilities and have a
great life.
The past is always worth holding on to, but it must not stop you from having a future. Let go of your
fears and let your heart, mind and soul soar with the endless possibilities that await you. Spend each
day trying to make it better than the last and have a life that is worth living.
Terry Shadwell
Read more at http://terryshadwell.blogspot.com/