Think of all the cliché sayings about going towards your first year of college that are always captions on Instagram. Like, "Can't wait to start a new chapter!" or "College life is the life for me." Well, I feel like the embodiment of all of those captions.

My mother asked me the other day in an upset demeanor why I was so ready to leave my family and friends behind. My loved ones. The relationships I had built in my hometown. My entire life. Why was I so ready to leave that all behind? Well, the answer is clear as day. Because my loved ones have done their job. They have molded me into a person that can take on the world with wide eyes and open arms. As a person who works in retail I see it like this: if it's closing time and the entire store is clean, money is counted, and the gate is locked, then why should I stay? It's time to go because there is nothing left to do.

I feel stuck. Like there is glue on my feet that keeps me from going anywhere. I'm cemented to the ground. I'm not going backwards, but I'm surely not moving forward. It's like a book I've read a million times. I'll always have the information that it has provided me, but if I read it again I'm not going to gain anything else because I've already read the book. I know what's going to happen. I know the twist at the end, the rising action, the dark reveal, and even the Easter eggs hidden throughout. Don't get me wrong, I don't have the book, I just think it's time to read a new one. The old one is worn out and the pages are starting to rip. I'm putting the book down and picking up a fresh new book. One where I won't know what is going to happen. One where I'm sitting at the edge of my seat wondering how it will all play out at the end.

I'm no longer being pushed. No challenges. No road blocks. No "DO NOT ENTER" signs. No red lights. Just a straight and easy path. The kind of path Little Red Riding Hood wish she had taken to her grandma's house. College is going to be a brand new challenge and I can't wait to take it on. The feeling of accomplishment after a long hard day is waiting for me. I crave being stumped and not knowing what to do in any given situation. People that will put me in my place and let me know that I don't know everything,although my mom will do that back at home, free of charge.

College will be more then just an adventure. It will be journey. One that will be over sooner then I might think. The shortest and at the same time, the longest, book I'll ever read. Even though it's time for a trip to the bookstore, I know I'll always have the classic at home.