Manfred Xirinachs

"The limit is the sky."

Those soft words phased through my mother's mouth, showing themselves like a slight breeze of wind or a musical strand, yet still enough to knock my wildest senses and make me float away. Those are the exact words that, to this day, shaped me. Those words that I've held dear for my entire life, not for what they mean, but for the question of why the sky should stop me if the boundary to our airspace is around 62 miles, the highest recorded cloud was 12 miles in the air, why should I stay put, why should I not try and grasp the daring and unknown of space.
Since childhood, I've always been a curious kid with a creative and innovative imagination; I remember going to the packed streets to look for screws, metal trinkets, and anything that might look oddly shiny, round, or unique enough for my little hands to grab it, just for me to get home and build strange objects or tools I could use for another adventure. However, my hands were limited to what I could carry, so I always had to leave a piece of my newfound treasure behind. Growing up, this idea of mindless limits always struck me. The fact is that all of us have a limit in our lives, a private property that mentions that people should be off-limits, or an arduous one like a father blabbing about the food being off-limits in the new car. These boundaries in our lives have kept us safe and within reach, but with so much to explore, why should I stay wondering what else I can find, what else I can know, what else I can achieve?
Still, considering the limits in my life, I would look up, pray, and believe in taking myself and whatever invention I would develop into the void of space. I have dreamed of reaching the stars, the undiscovered lands, to go like Buzz Lightyear "to infinity and beyond." I could never truly quench the flame of my curiosity, the actual craving to know what lies beyond the ozone layer.
Time passed, and July 17th, 2016, became an extraordinary day for me, the day my younger self wished for, my first day of stepping foot in space camp. Knowing my team name was Arcturus made my heart pound rapidly and daringly; I felt purpose. I felt like I had flown to the moon and back. The camp spoke for itself; watching the astronauts and their missions filled me with hope to one day accomplish my own; I would make myself worthy of being next to my heroes. I felt at home; it welcomed me to prove myself and make an impact. During those five days, I worked to learn what it meant to be in G-force and how the MMU was unique. All this research made me push myself to be part of the space mission simulator, X-Mission, no matter the cost. With a purpose set and what I think is God's enlightenment, I got the role I wanted: the spaceship commander. I sat down; my head stopped working. This is what I'd desire the most; this would be me living my dream; that particular minute was my real beginning, the time to notice what I would have to learn shortly, to appreciate and think of why I'm sitting in this shuttle. I had to keep pushing myself to pursue my love for technology, crafts, and space. Before I blast off into this path, I still have a long way to go. The limit is the sky, but that doesn't mean I have to stay within it. I am determined to reach for the stars and see what lies beyond. I saw my life; shortly after they asked for my call to countdown, we started the ignition, 3, 2, 1, and the shuttle launched.