One short week ago, I made a semi-impromptu weekend trip to Sioux Falls, S.D., and came across a massive stainless-steel sculpture spanning the length of a football field.
Aptly labeled the Arc of Dreams, the sculpture is considered a signature art piece for the city, but I would argue that its relevance extends beyond city limits.
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To anybody simply passing through Sioux Falls鈥� downtown, they might just pass it off as a frivolous structure that looks cool. But the idea behind its construction and a 15-foot gap at its center is what makes it even cooler.
Eighty-five feet above the Big Sioux River, the gap represents 鈥渢he leap of faith dreamers take to see their dreams come true.鈥�
Upon learning of its origin, I began applying such an idea to my own life experiences. I鈥檝e been thinking critically about the moments where I鈥檝e taken such leaps, as well as situations where I couldn鈥檛 muster up any courage to jump.
We鈥檙e presented with such decisions every day 鈥� whether it鈥檚 taking up a job offer, choosing which college to attend, moving to a different city or planning a vacation 鈥� and the idea of leaps of faith can be applied to each situation, no matter how big or small the decision.
My path was well laid out after high school. I attended Bemidji State University, graduated and landed a job in town. My leaps of faith included attending college in the first place 鈥� a dream I long had 鈥� as well as the choice to switch majors in my freshman year and become a double-major in my junior year.
My job search presented another leap of faith as I mainly perused positions in Fargo, N.D., where I wanted to relocate. Frankly, Bemidji was not at the top of my list when seeking work.
Nonetheless, I returned to Bemidji as a full-time employee in 2021 after spending four years here as a college student. Though I didn鈥檛 expect to return to the area post-graduation, the process led me back.
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Earlier this year, I had a conversation with someone regarding future plans and where we would want to live after Bemidji. This person told me 鈥� something along the lines 鈥� that it was obvious I鈥檇 live in Bemidji the rest of my life.
If that ends up being the case, so be it.
Though I hadn鈥檛 initially dreamed of staying in Bemidji after college, the process has a way of leading you where you need to go and transforming your dreams in ways you hadn鈥檛 considered. Dreams can change, and that鈥檚 OK.
That being said, earlier dreams can still be intact and linger. But if they have yet to come to fruition, one must learn to be content where they're at and make the best of their current situation.
Whether I stay in Bemidji, move to a bigger city or immigrate to Canada, I鈥檝e learned that a leap of faith can be the decision to have faith in the process.
And I learned that thanks to a hunk of metal in Sioux Falls.
