Kudos to 2 girls following their dreams

I am really impressed with a couple of the young ladies in my life. They are both in their late teens and are hitting the gas when it comes to living their lives and following dreams, in spite of any fear they may feel.

One of these girls is the daughter of a friend of mine. She realized in the beginning of 2009 that she had an opportunity to graduate high school early and she went for it. She worked hard, spent her evenings taking on-line classes, fought the bureaucracy that popped up and finished high school a year early. While doing this she scoped out colleges, applied, went after scholarships (after all, Mom & Dad weren't expecting to foot college tuition bills for another year) and is now packing up to head out on the next phase of her life.

The other girl is my niece. She won a rotary scholarship to study over seas for a year. She is packing her bags and heading off to Belgium to live with a family she's never met, in a country she's never been to. She too has been very busy, not only planning for a year abroad but also setting up her college plans for the fall after she returns.

I'm sure they're scared. I'm sure they have thought of all kinds of reasons to change their plans, and yet I see them marching forward and focusing on the fun and adventure of all that is in front of them. These girls are an inspiration to me, and I hope to you as well.