"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." Lao Tzu

Goodbyes are never easy for anyone. They are not easy to say and they most definitely are not easy to hear. Saying goodbye to those who have been in your life since you were a baby, the friends you have kept since elementary school, along with your parents that have been there for you through everything is not easy.

I've started packing all my memories together in tiny little boxes that will soon travel the 100 miles to my new home. My walls that once were filled with pictures are now bare. My bed that normally was messy and never made is now, made. There are a stack of boxes just waiting to be packed into the car. The transition of leaving my home isn't easy. The house that you have lived in since you could walk is now your second home. The road you lived on with all your friends that you used to play with is now just another street. The bedroom that was there for you through the tears and the laughter is now just a place to stay on the weekends. Goodbye's are never easy, especially to the place that built you.

To the friends that I have been with since elementary school, always in the same class or same school, I will no longer see in the halls. Saying goodbye to the friends that have always been there is weird. You expect them to be next to you on move in day, but then you realize, they are going to a different school. That doesn't always mean that you won't see each other, it's just that you will make new friends and so will they. That's how it is. It will be weird not seeing them around but that's the joy of new beginnings.

You also have to say goodbye to your hometown. The place that you have grown up in. The place that has made you. You know your way around town like the back of your hand, but soon you have to learn how to get around a new town. Even though you probably are so ready to get out, you'll miss the normalcy of what used to be. Your hometown holds a piece of your heart. The people in your hometown hold a piece of your heart. Your friends from day one will always hold a piece of your heart.

You will soon move into a new home that you share with someone. You start to unpack the boxes with the memories that once flooded your old home. You put up small little things that remind you of your hometown, but you start to add things to your wall. You add small things of your new town. Soon part of you belongs in two places. That's the joy of new beginnings.

Goodbye's are never easy, but there is a certain joy that comes from new beginnings. New beginnings mean for new memories with new people. Enjoy the new transition to college and make the most of it, but don't forget the place that built you.