Leave the Nest And Fly

I do a lot of thinking when I'm outside.  The other day I was down at the dog tree and I started thinking about people who spend their entire lives in the same place.  Those who have never lived anywhere outside of the city or county they were born in and where they grew up.

Then I started thinking about my own life and how many different places I have lived.  So I began counting.  If my memory serves me correctly, I have lived in six different states and 17 different cities -- sometimes even living in different places within a city.  I don't even know how many times I've moved in my life.  I know from kindergarten to third grade I had been enrolled in five different schools.  Even as a young adult I moved a lot.  Between serving a mission and obtaining higher education I moved at least ten times and lived in nine different cities in four different states.

You wouldn't know it by how many places I've lived but I don't really like change.  Yet with every move and every different place of residence, I gained different experiences from which I learned and grew.

I think it's good to spread your wings and venture out.  I know there are some parents who don't want their kids to ever move very far from them.  I guess that's a natural feeling to want to keep your kids close.  But a good parent realizes that it's good for their children to venture out into the world and spread their wings and fly.  It's a disservice to your children to keep them tied to the apron strings. And selfish.

It's natural progression for children to leave the nest as they reach adulthood.  It's natural to want to go out in the world and experience new things.  A young bird learning how to fly may fail a few times but will eventually get the hang of it.  A bird who doesn't leave the nest might avoid the failure but will never learn to fly.

I'm thankful for parents who never held me back from chasing my dreams and goals.  I'm thankful for parents who encouraged me to spread my wings and fly. I'm thankful for all the different places I've lived and all the experiences I've gained by venturing out and soaring.

A bird who learns how to fly can return to the nest anytime.  A bird who doesn't leave the nest, never learns to fly.

That's my two cents.