When she told me the news, I knew I had two options. To move to Chicago with her, or to stay exactly where I am, and where I have been since graduating from college in 2008; in my hometown, at my parents' house, working at the same small print shop I've been working at since I moved back home. It may or may not come as a surprise to some of you that I chose the latter.
It took two weeks of intense soul searching {and stress} to come to this decision. While big city life in the Chi-town with my best friend sounded extremely exciting, I knew that I wasn't ready to call that place home.
I'm not sure what's going to happen with my life. I've been living the same one, day-in and day-out for the past four years. And all this time, I've felt a little like I've been waiting for something to happen. Something life changing, like making that decision to move, find my dream job, maybe even my dream man... I don't know if any of that will ever happen for me, but there is something that came from this entire experience. I now know {perhaps I always have} that life isn't about the job you have or the place you live in, it's about the people in it. This experience has made me realize and remember daily how lucky I am to be surrounded by the support and love of my family – namely that of my parents, who have allowed me to live with them well into my 20s.
While a piece of me still thinks I may have made the wrong choice – maybe my fears are getting in the way of my dreams? – I'm a full believer that we end up where we're supposed to be. Perhaps I'm about to embark on my life's journey after all. Or, perhaps my journey, the one meant only for me, has been unfolding all along.
"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told my I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." – John Lennon
{image via : my tumblr}