Set your soul Free by Andrea Rosario

We are wanderers, travelers running away from circumstances. Some of us spend the rest of our lives wandering. Others unpack bags and rest at their destination.  However I am certain; there is still plenty of wandering left in me.

As travelers we experience the highs and the lows, victories and losses. One thing remains definite; there is no escaping sacrifice.

I saw my mother’s hands struggle to close into a fist, after long hours at the factory. I was there when my father labored sixteen consecutive hours of work to gather the rent money. I experienced it when my mother and I slept on a mattress in the living room because all the rooms in our home were rented. I felt it when The College of New Jersey gave me 24-hours to vacate the premises after receiving notice of my unpaid tuition balance. I lived it when my neighborhood friends were being sentenced 25 years to life in prison for feeding their families the only way they deemed best, because $7.25 an hour could hardly cover milk, formula, diapers, and onesies.

Success is not so easily accessible. Again. Success is not easily accessible.

However, my mother’s tired hands will not go in vain. My father’s undereye circles will smoothen out with his daughter’s diligence, discipline and appetite for an improved tomorrow.

We cannot all be doctors, lawyers, or engineers because the world needs painters, teachers, florist, and waiters. Most importantly, the world needs life. Life cannot exist without purpose, and purpose cannot exist without passion. Once again, there is no life without purpose. We would be moving things floating through life like scattered debris, floating through school, occupations, and marriages.

At 101 years old, Clifford Crozier told his grandson before passing away, “You live for the day, and a spot of Whiskey occasionally helps.” He confessed. “After living the way I have, I can perish peacefully.”

Each molecule in our bodies is intended to create greatness, whether that is owning a coffee shop, designing a sneaker collection, teaching foreigners your native tongue or being a mentor to the local neighborhood kids. Be great; even in the face of adversity.