Since this past May I have accomplished a great deal, or at least it seems like it. I have graduated with my associate degree, transferred to a university and have moved out of the house. This may seem lame to some, but to someone from a small town who never thought she’d leave the state, this is a triumph. As I have gone through this process, I have realized quite a bit, what I call my mini-revelations.

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I will never live at my parent’s house again, ever

That’s almost an obvious, right? But it didn’t hit me until I was saying good-bye to my mother for the second time in the past two months. I realized that I wasn’t saying “bye guys, see ya after work,” I was saying “bye guys, see ya soon.” So boom, there it is, I move out for college and I will hopefully never move back in. From now on, it’ll be my apartment or my house, which will in time become my home and my parent’s house, well, will be just my parent’s house (and hopefully they move somewhere nice to visit).

These next ten years, will create my future

So maybe not in ten years specifically, maybe there are some late bloomers and it’ll take 15, or even 20, but regardless, these next years are kind of scary and exciting at the same time. I will graduate college, hopefully find my soul-mate and my dream-job, move to where I want to live or where my job is forcing me to live, and will probably have a kid; maybe even two if I turn out to like the thing and still have money after all these loans are paid off. So these next years, will create the path to the rest of my life, and that’s an intimidating thought.

With that being said, I am an adult and will somehow be okay

When I was younger I used to think I’d be a waitress, go to college and have my whole life planned out. I am going to college and I am a waitress, but I’m only a quarter of the way to figuring out my life, if that. But even in the past couple of years I would question how my parents have the money for house payments, car payments, electric bills, phone bills, kids and going out to eat and it was mind-blowing that we somehow always made it through. We weren’t poor, but we definitely weren’t rich. Now that I am on my own, I understand how you make it through-you don’t always know. I have no clue how I’m going to pay for my tuition, bills or to eat, but I somehow figure it out. I might cut back a little more than usual or work more hours, or both, but I somehow pull it off, every time.

Slow your roll

There is a time and place for everything, not to be cliché, but in all honesty, don’t feel pressured to get married or to have kids, or-plain and simple-grow up! Take your time, figure out who you are and what you want out of life first. Once you get married, buy your house and have your kids you have responsibilities other than yourself. I’m not bashing having kids because I know, one day, I will bring forth my own, but I want to figure out who I am first. Same thing with marriage, the right one will stumble upon you. I admit I have joined tinder in the past, but seriously if you want to meet someone get off your phone and talk to the guy you’re standing next to at the bus station or the chick at the bar. But until I find my future hubby and have my future little brats, I want to travel and meet new people, sleep sprawled like a star and live off of mac-n-cheese until my skin turns orange.

Lastly, life goes on

It really does, life goes on. Whether you’re failing your chemistry course, struggling to pay rent or going through a nasty break-up, life will continue. I remember thinking several times when I was younger, and even recently “my life is over”-well guess what, I’m still here and doing even better. We will all have some sort of struggles in life, but with enough determination, you will get through it, you will rise above it and you will learn from it.