Time for Discovery

I was recently in a Middle School Orientation for one of my daughters who will be heading into 7th grade. The principal spoke and made the statement, "Middle School is about discovery. It is a time to help your children decide what they want to be when they grow up." She then went on to explain the classes that the students would be taking that would expose them to a variety of topics that would help them as they decide their future.

As I thought about my daughter and the classes that she would be taking, I couldn't help but wonder what she would discover over the next 10+ years and what she would become when she grows up. (I often wonder what I will be when I grow up-with the emphasis on "when I grow up.") My mind started formulating what her plan should be and what she was good at and where her testing scores were and how important being in the right classes was going to be-then I had a brain aneurysm-or maybe it was a epiphany.

Is there a time in our lives that we should stop discovering, be grown up and fall into a routine of what we should be? Are the goals/decisions that we make in Middle School, High School, and College the ultimate blue print or path for the rest of our lives? Our lives change, our situations change and our dreams evolve. Sure, placement tests and classes in school can help us with discovery and opportunities, but maybe there should be a class on "Life Long Discovery." Shouldn't we discover new things when we are 30, 50, 90?

It is time to discover something new... where is that brochure on scuba diving?