I stood right here on Bradley’s quad more than 42 years ago wondering, “Where will life lead me? What will I accomplish? How will I turn out? What will I do? Who will I spend my life with? Where will I live? Where will I have gone?”
Lots of questions but no answers. Some people plan it all out and their plan gets tweaked. Some people just wing it, and I was one of those people. I left it to destiny, and I trusted the Lord. I took my lumps and hurtled the obstacles. I climbed the mountains, and most of my deep dreams actually came to fruition.
I’m a lucky man, and I know what I have been blessed. Others may not see it that way, but that’s their choice.
Whatever life has in store for you, it’s your attitude that determines the outcome. The time frame may not be so kind, but you can actually change the effects on your life by revisiting them later.
What I mean is that life evolves, as do your thought patterns, your perceptions and your recall. I guarantee that there are moments in your life that actually happened differently than how you remember them.
Nothing changed the circumstances, but you may have been oblivious to the real events. It’s kind of like going from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, from street view to satellite view.
Anyway, I came back to this exact spot (for a campus visit for my daughter’s college tour), and all the memories magnified. The things I worried about back then as a Bradley student were all minor.
Now I’m older, I’m wiser, and I’m bigger. Two out of three isn’t bad. Take advantage of your college experience here – you’ll never regret it. I hope my daughter Mandy chooses Bradley.
-Randy “Woody” Gollay
gollay@comcast.net
