A part of life is moving on and moving away from home. Most people dream of this from the time they are little. As we get older and start having conflicts with our parents or siblings, we start to see how far we can get from home. Then, when that time comes, we have to look how far we can actually get away and still be comfortable.

For me, this has all happened recently. I graduated from high school and moved on to college. I decided that I did not want to be too far from home, but I also wanted to be far enough. I decided to go 185 miles from home, to Lynchburg College. I am extremely close with my family, but I have grown up in the same town and needed to get a new experience with people that I did not go to school with or have not grown up with. I always looked at colleges that weren't too far from home.

For some people, making this decision is not easy. I know for me it was hard, but my mom and dad supported me and told me I needed to do this. (Even though that's not what they really wanted). They wanted to see me gain a whole new outlook on life and gain new experiences.

While letting go of where you have grown up and all you know may be hard, you have to think to yourself: Is this going to benefit me in any way?

For me that question was on my mind a lot. How was going 185 miles from home going to benefit me as a person? I was going to be able to get a new experience and also gain some independence from my parents. I was going to be able to learn to live on my own and take responsibility for my own actions.

But what I did not realize was that I would gain friends that are going to be there for me no matter what, friendships that are going to last a lifetime, a community to grow in, and more confidence in myself.

Moving away from home taught me that I can make my dreams come true, if I surround myself with the right kind of people. I can help others and become someone's family. We will hold each other up when we need it, and we will tell each other the truth, no matter how blunt or painful it may be.

Moving away can be a good thing once you take a step back and realize you need this to become a better person and to grow as an individual. At first, it will be hard, but it will get easier, and you will almost forget that you are not home with your family, but that you are with your second family in your second home.

So moving away is not always a bad. In some ways, it might be good for you. It's all about what you make of it and how you look at the situation you are in.

You just have to remember not to hang your head over things you can't control. You have to keep moving on with your life and never let anyone hold you back.