Derailed

Chances are you’ve had something or sometime in your life when things didn’t go the way you thought they would at all. You are suddenly left without a plan of what to do next.

For me, one of those times was in my senior year of college. Occasionally, I look back on this incident and wish I would have handled it differently. Mostly though, I now see it as something that had to happen to change the direction of my life to get me to exactly where I was meant to be, which is where I am now.

My senior year of college was going great. I had taken all the necessary requirements to apply to the school of social work which was the final step to officially becoming a social worker. Countless classes, projects, and many volunteer hours at different places all to get me to the point of getting into the school of social work where I would finish up my degree. My plans were to then move on to get my master’s degree and become a licensed social worker with a private practice. I had dreamt of that for many years. My grades were the best they had ever been, and I felt completely confident when I sent in my application along with all my references that I would be accepted with flying colors. All my ducks were in a row.

A few weeks went by, and I hadn’t heard anything. I started to become concerned, so my parents suggested I call the department.

I did as they suggested, and it was requested that we meet with the Dean. We met with him, and we were told that they had, unfortunately, “lost” my application (the days of the fax machine haha!). They had since found it, and I was told it was an “excellent application” and I would have gotten in, but that (again, unfortunately) all the available spots had been filled. I was told to wait and reapply the following year.

You can imagine my heartbreak, which was quickly followed by anger and frustration. I ended up graduating with a different degree. My dreams were derailed.

What I couldn’t foresee was that in a few short months I would reconnect with my high school sweetheart who was living in Memphis, Tenn., at the time. Seven months later, I was packing up all my belongings to take a leap of faith. I moved nine hours from home to a place I’d only visited a couple of times and knew only one person.

My life took a hard turn that I never saw coming. If I could bottle up those five years that we lived in Memphis and save it forever I would. It’s exactly what I needed to move forward and GROW! The confidence I gained during that time was incredible. It pushed me to limits well beyond my comfort zone. I made my way as a young woman with a disability and adapted in all the necessary ways in a new environment. I accomplished many things that I had told myself I would never do because of my disability. I still followed my social work roots and worked for years with people with different kinds of disabilities. I still got to help others, which was why I chose that major to begin with.

Derailments, while hard to handle, can often be just the thing we need. I now have a beautiful family and am still involved with helping others. If you have recently been derailed from how you hoped things would go, don’t forget to be on the lookout and wait in excited anticipation of what may come next (I know, easier said than done). The best could just be yet to come.

Until next time …

Amy Shinneman is a former National Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, disability blogger, wife, and mom of two boys. You can find her blog at humblycourageous.com and reach her on Instagram @ashinneman.