About halfway through my second semester of my second year at Carroll Community College, I realized something. I needed a break. I needed a break from the stress. I needed a break from the heavy credit load needed to graduate in two years. I would be leaving with an Associates of Arts with a focus in creative writing. It seemed like a natural place to take a break, right?

But my fear of failure made the decision difficult. I felt like I was expected to transfer to a four-year university and finish my degree in four years. That’s the expectation, right? That was what normal people did, right? That was the path that everyone was supposed to take, right? Doubts plagued my mind, even though I knew that taking at least a semester off would be the best decision for me, personally.

After agonizing over the decision that I had already made in my heart and mind, I finally brought it up to my parents. I was met with nothing but love and support. They told me that both of them had taken breaks in their college careers. My step-mom even said that she had been telling my dad that I needed a break for a while now. Their only stipulation for my break was for me to wake up during the AM hours (preferably before eleven) and not stay cooped up in my room all day. And, of course, for me to pick up more hours at work. Past that, I was free to do as I pleased.

For the first few weeks after the semester ended, this wasn’t an issue. We were short a cashier and one of our cashiers was interning so she had less availability. I was, and still am, working about 30 hours a week. Sure, this meant that I only had one day a week off with how the shifts work out, but I still mostly had mornings to hang out with people. My friends and I started something akin to a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, called Unknown Armies, that would — hopefully — meet up once a day every week.

Now, a month into my summer vacation, I have no regrets about my decision. We hired another cashier at my work, so I will hopefully have more than one day off to hang out with my friends. I have a few personal projects that I have started that will finally get the attention that they deserve this summer and fall. I’ll have time to write more articles, and I’ll have time to look for a job in my field of editing. I’ll have time to play Unknown Armies with my friends. I'll have time to do whatever I please.

I have no clue what the future holds. I don’t know if I’ll continue to be happy with my decision to take at least the fall semester off of college and focus on myself for a while. The only thing I know is that I am happy now, and truly that’s all that should matter. I can only hope to continue to be happy with my time off of college