Dear Odyssey,

Wow. What a run. Six months of articles, writer's block, late-night GroupMe conversations, frustration at Muse, and excitement at pageviews and social interactions. You were more than I could have hoped for. You introduced me to some of the kindest and strongest women I have ever met. I have grown so much as a writer and person. You've taught me so much about myself and how to express my opinion. I'm forever thankful for the run we've been on, but it's time for it to end.

The last six months have been a blur. I've changed jobs twice, started college, became a legal adult, found new friends, and lost old ones. It's been a lot and I've watched you gradually take more and more of a back seat in my life. And I don't want that. If I'm going to write and have it published I want it to say something, to mean something. Right now, I can't really do that. You always seem to be the last thing on my to-do list and neither of us is gaining from it.

I'm super busy and I need to take some time to focus on myself. College is a lot harder than I told myself it would be. And that's okay.And now that I have my first semester under my belt, things should get easier. But as we always say, "School comes first". Honestly, I also need to focus on me growing as a person. Socially, I've taken three steps back since starting college and I'm becoming less and less social. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but in my case, that means I'm socializing once every month. I need to find my people.

And the Odyssey has helped me take a step in the right direction. Thank you for helping me make friends out of people I've never met. Thank you for giving me somewhere to grow and voice my opinions. Thank you for allowing me to thank the people who have played important roles in my life and tell stories that wouldn't have been told otherwise. Thank you for taking this girl who was just looking for an outlet, and turning her into a storyteller.

You really were more than I hoped for. And maybe one day I'll return, but as of right now, goodbye. Take care of the MoState group for me. Never stop having the best Insta around. Always keep pushing the boundaries and don't start backing down. You are loud and raw and brave. You and your creators are delivering messages society needs to hear even if they don't want to. Keep gaining creators and promoting the old ones.

Thank you for the run. Thank you for the memories, articles, and laughs. My time's done here. I'm branching out and hopefully growing. You've been good to me. Now go tell some stories.

Forever yours,

Bailey