Читать книгу Finding the Sun Through the Clouds - Dawnmarie Deshaies - Страница 13

Chapter 8

Turning Twenty-One

I was finally twenty-one years old, so let the roaring twenties begin again. It was time to hit the town with my ladies. Of course, I was always looking fabulous, because who doesn’t need a day to feel themselves? I met so many people and tried to balance my work life and personal life. I met a police officer, and his name was Thomas. We hit it off and started dating. I met his sister Nancy. She was a nurse, and we got along great. I was all about working hard and climbing the corporate ladder, so love wasn’t as prevalent in my mind; it was a time to concentrate on work and find time to let loose.

Continuing to live in Massachusetts was okay. The weather seemed to bother my asthma a lot, and the strange phantom symptoms continued to fatigue and tire me out day to day. But life carried on. I continued to work, date, and go out with friends. I dated Thomas for over a year, and I started to live with his sister Nancy. We became great friends and always strolled to nightclubs and bars together with our friends after work. I knew this wasn’t all I wanted to do with my life. I still had bigger dreams for my life. I wanted to travel the world, paint murals, and own my own business working on interior design one day.

My bucket list at that time consisted of jumping out of a plane, learning to fire a weapon (like Lara Croft), wanting to teach children to paint and draw, traveling to the artistic capitals of the world to see all my idols’ works, relaxing on a secluded beach and drinking a bottle of champagne, and painting my own work for the world to see. Most of all, I wanted to start my own business. I wanted to model people’s homes, and I wanted to model in them as well. Being a mere five feet, two inches (like one of my favorite artists currently, Lady Gaga), I knew the last check was a long-stretched dream, but I never gave up on it. Of course, I was still on the hunt for my prince charming. I knew one day I would settle down and start a family so I could pass along all my artistic visions and create a life of love and adoration for my own children. I hoped to pass along all the incredible life lessons I had learned so far, such as my inherent compassion for all living things and my impeccable work ethic. I wanted to raise influential individuals who could take care of themselves and spread a kind message for the world to see with their talents. I wanted to be a leader and make a difference in people’s lives. I’m still working on being a leader to this day.

When I gave my mother, father, and teachers this list, they all said to me, “You can do whatever your heart desires in life.” It takes determination and hard work. I had accomplished so much at such a young age already, and I was not going to stop there. My relationship with Thomas only lasted one year, and it wasn’t a natural breakup. He was seeing other people, and I was only seeing him—the signs of an immature man not knowing what he wants in life. I thought to myself, Was I really in love with him? Or was it just comfortable having someone in my life? Looking back now, I’m glad I was able to answer such substantial life questions at that time. He moved on with his life, and I moved on with mine. I moved out of Nancy’s home, but I attended her wedding party as maid of honor. She married her best friend, Bill. Bill and Nancy made a great couple, and they knew how to live life and have fun.