It seems that just yesterday I was picking out those tan moccasins and excited about what fall outfits I was gonna wear. Now I'm wearing flip flops with the summer heat reminding me of how fast time flies. Everyone has a chapter in their lives that they often don't share. Often people keep it private to preserve the memory or to move past it as if it never happened. ~ to each their own ~. Good or bad, you can't help but remember all the lessons you learned from that chapter in your life. For me, this chapter molded me into the person I am today, so, thank you.

Thank you for showing me the beauty in standing out. Who cares about having the same jacket or style as others if you don't really like it? What's the point of following the crowd if you're miserable the whole time you're walking? Dropping the need to be superficial gave me the wings to focus on what really matters, like eating tacos in a plaid shirt with slippers at 3 pm.

Thank you for accepting me, for me. Being someone who naturally sets up barriers, it is comforting to know that it's okay to not be okay (queue Jessie J). Validating my worries instead of shrugging them off made the difference. It was reassuring that due to my humanity, I'm bound to make mistakes. That took away the sting of disappointment.

Thank you for showing me that if you believe hard enough in yourself, there's nothing that can stop you. With only a sheet of paper and a pencil, any vision can become a reality if you're willing to wake up early enough to do it. The most important progress is made while everyone else sleeps in. By highlighting the importance of responsibility, I was able to see how 'a journey of a thousand miles' started with a single step.

Thank you for breaking my expectations of perfection. No longer will I seek after the perfect, safe path. As Robert Frost put it, " I had the most fun because I took that risk that day in the woods"- or some thing like that. Pretty much, having a safety net to catch you every time is boring, the routine gets boring. Don't limit yourself to a monotonous life when you can be the life of the party.

As the end of an era approaches and a new chapter begins, I reminisce on how I could not have foreseen this amazing journey and all it brought with it. To everyone debating whether or not take that risk -take it. If you're scared, embrace it and push yourself to do it. Since you only live once, don't waste it playing it safe. Be fearless, be unapologetically you.