Assignment 19 - Oliver Fister

One piece of advice I've received that I consider to be some of the best I ever have was just given to me not 24 hours ago. Last night, I was expressing to my mom my anxieties about going into the field of paleontology (namely the fact that I'll have to move out west to do anything in the field, that it will take a long time to complete the schooling and get enough experience to find a good job, and that it appears that many other people also seem to have a similar, competitive interest in prehistoric life). What she told me was that it was crucial that I do whatever it is that makes me happy. That my anxieties were only anxieties, and she reminded me how passionate I am in the field and that entering it would give me great, fulfilling, lifelong joy. The best part of her advice was, "You're going to end up turning 45 anyway, so why not be 45 and happy?" Essentially, I need to do what makes me happy. No matter how long or hard the road is, especially the road of paleontology, it'll be worth it, so I might as well be old and happy one day than old and full of regret.