Plans Shmans

I have been thinking a lot lately and I have come to realize that thinking and planning usually gets me into trouble. Why can't I just take a hold of something and mold it into exactly what I want? The perfect thing, thought, memory and future event could be shaped into perfection by my agile hands. I have known for a long time that if the world and the people who live in it would just listen to my plans and do what I told them to do, everyone would be a whole heck of a lot happier. These plans that I have always seem perfect in my mind but it's the follow through that trips me up. When an opportunity is dropped into my lap should I take it? The obvious answer is yes. But there is this annoying voice inside my head telling me "it's too easy" "it will never work out" "you don't need help, do it yourself". I have discovered through my stubbornness that if a seemingly perfect plan is starting to unfold in front of me and I did not come up with it, I become uneasy and reject it immediately. My name is Sarah Haskell and I am a commitment phobe. My new found discovery has led me to a new motto. Stop thinking and just roll with it. Seize the day! I will land where I am supposed to land and must remember that perfect plans never start as perfect plans but if you work hard enough and believe in yourself, they turn into something great.

View from my Sunglasses

I had a certain pair of sunglasses that I had becomed completely attached to. These blockers of the harmful rays were my perfect accessory. The kind of sunglasses a person wears helps define them. When you find a pair that works, you stick with them. Many people decide that they want to keep up appearances and go for that really expensive trendy pair with the thick white frames or the tricked out shades with bling covering every inch. Not this sassafrass. I am an aviator girl. No, I did not start wearing them when they became "cool", my first pair of aviators was a gem left behind and forgotten until I picked them up and slipped them on my face 4 years ago. They were perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Through my first pair of aviators I saw the best summer I have ever had. I saw my sophomore year of college and how truly important my friends and my sorority had become. My friends saw me behind my aviators; the outspoken, opinionated, strong, determined and loyal friend. They helped me define my world and they helped me define myself. Then, my aviators broke. I mean, I was already missing one side of the nose piece, but I wasn't quite prepared to lose them yet. I needed a new pair, and they had to be perfect. I found them, and I bought two pairs, just to be safe.

Through this new pair of aviators I saw the rest of my college years. Theme parties, formals, early morning classes I didn't want professors to see my eyes, roadtrips, spring breaks to Chicago and L.A. I was growing up and my aviators were right there seeing it all. I could not imagine a different way to see that magical and unforgettable 4 years of my life.

Recently, that pair of aviators passed away. It happened at a friend's wedding. I think it was a sign that I really was becoming an adult, life was changing and I needed a new pair of sunglasses to help me down my new path. I went out and bought a new pair the next week. Through them I have seen myself as an alum going back to my sorority. I have seen myself as a professional working a PGA golf tournament and then, I saw my friends pack and move away. Through this new pair of sunglasses I have seen my carefree college days turn into life as a young professional, and you know what? I can't wait to see more.

Did I mention that although I may be growing up, I still bought aviators. Some things you can always rely on.