Independence is defined as "freedom from the control, influence, aid, or the like, of others," and only after a week of having moved into my new home and regaining a sense of independence, I can already see my sophomore year is going to be a good year. Yes, I am taking sixteen hours of classes, and, yes, I have already had several homework assignments to do, but despite already feeling the oncoming stress for this year, the overwhelming feeling of freedom is keeping my mental breakdowns at bay.

Luckily I have been blessed with the amazing parents that I have and, of course, I do miss them at times, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to accomplish adult tasks on my own. Tasks such as cooking, cleaning, making my own doctors appointments, and even managing my own finances. Not only that but in my case, I also took on someone else to take care of while living on my own: my puppy, Piper. If someone had ever told me before that I would be able to effectively and responsibly take care of not only myself but of someone else, I would have laughed in their face. The longer I live on my own, the more I realize that independence is not something that is given easily, but rather it is earned, due to how living independently has its costs and benefits.

First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents for the sacrifices and struggles they have been through in order to grant me the much sought-out education that I am able to receive. I feel like I can never thank them enough for helping me get this far because it is the truth; no matter how many times I say it or what all I may do for them, it is just not enough to show how truly thankful I am. They have raised me and set the building blocks that have allowed me to acquire this independence and use it responsibly, not carelessly. And no matter how old I get, or how much independence I think I have, I believe that I will always rely on them in some way, shape, or form.

I would also like to add that having adult responsibilities added on to the hours of school work and taking care of a rambunctious puppy can definitely leave for a long list of things to do. But despite that, I would not want to change a thing, because God has showered down his blessings onto my family, for that is the only reason that I am able to be where I am today. So thank you Mom and Dad, and thank you to my entire family who has supported me since I was little... now is my chance to learn and to grow in a way that I never have before. Even though independence can be defined through a simple set of words, the act of independence is not so simple, so it is up to oneself to test the waters of such independence and to not take it for granted, because it can be taken away as easily as it was given.