Forward. Choosing a direction is never the easiest, and reminding yourself to never stop is even harder. But pushing ahead regardless of the obstacles is what makes Jessica a force to be reckoned with. At first, “drive” may not be the adjective that comes to mind after observing her reserved, delicate, quietly silly demeanor. But stick around, and you’ll quickly realize that Jessica is someone who is anything but laid back or aloof: she invests herself entirely, diving headfirst into whatever endeavor she’s locked her sights on. She works at it — diligently, relentlessly. Until she’s suddenly kilometers ahead of where she’s been before, and from there she pushes on still.

Leap. The journey, however, is not always straightforward. There might be potholes too large to simply step over, or swamps and rivers too wide for a bridge to span. So sometimes, as Jessica has discovered, it’s better to jump instead of pause, hurling herself towards where she wants to be, and hoping that she’ll land with at least half-solid footing.

It’s more belief than calculation, to be sure, but being a practical risk-taker can pay off. Famous names didn’t burn themselves into our awareness by simply taking the safe route, and Jessica is no different. She took a deep breath and made a wish; and when she landed, she opened her eyes and smiled at the new world ahead.

Yet. The thing with being a trailblazer is that no one knows where she’ll end up next. The path meanders back and forth, criss-crossing with dozens of other possibilities. And as Jessica sets one foot in front of the other, maybe even she doesn’t know where tomorrow will be. But she takes it all in stride, shoulders squared and chin held high, ready to push and plunge into an unknown greater than what today seemed to be only the morning before.

Jessica, we know that you’ll keep doing what you do best: holding that torch high so those behind you can also see what’s to come. Some may choose to stay behind, others will strike out for what they deem to be a better route, and more still will wait in your shadow until you’ve beaten down a smoother road for them to walk upon. But next time, when you let yourself pause and breathe for just a moment, remember that there are people all around the globe wishing you everything that is good in the world.

Happy birthday, Jessica. We can’t wait to see where you’ll be by the time your next one comes around.

Sources: TOPSTARNEWS, “High Cut”, Coridel Entertainment
Written by: moonrise31@soshified

Orginally posted on April 18th, 2017.