Part of me debated writing this article, but the other part of me felt it was necessary. The Odyssey has been an opening gate for me to get my writing out into the public eye. Sometimes, the articles we publish and read online are all about How To's and fiction stories to get the most reads and reposts. But since i've joined this team, it was more of a way for me to express my personal raw feelings. So today I stand explaining my absence (not that you necessarily need one) but felt as my personal journey into writing, I might as well. The last article I had written was posted on October 31, 2016. Since then it seems like life just got out of hand. I lost sense of what I wanted to write and how much I loved writing. I used the excuse of school and work got too much in the way of my creative flow. But without that creative flow, I wasn’t feeling myself. I needed a mental break from all the stress I already had, but I also didn’t need to stop. Writing is the one thing in my life that has helped keep me sane for so long (or as much as I try to be). My articles as the months went on were getting weak and I just wasn’t proud of them anymore. But since it’s been a few months now since I fully took time and effort into an article, here’s what had happened. I got accepted into ISU and accepted my decision to go there in the fall 2017. I picked up a second job for holiday working at our park districts Santa House. I stopped working out somewhere around thanksgiving break and greatly regretted it. Papers on papers started to get in the way for school and I was so emotionally and physically drowned in school, work and balancing friendships and a relationship I somehow lost myself within it all. But with final’s behind me and only the future of transferring next fall ahead of me, I felt it’s time I got back to my roots. That’s the funny thing i’ve learned about college. You feel that you can balance it all whatever is thrown at you, but you really can’t. Sometimes juggling more than what you can hold isn’t always the easiest solution. Sometimes you have to admit that your struggling and life isn’t great. I’ve had many days recently in the past few weeks where I have found myself crying in bed and wondering if my depression is slowly creeping back. It will always be there in the back of my mind but doesn’t mean I need to stop moving forward. There are hurdles that we all need to get over in life and sometimes they hit you all at once or one at a time. As the New Year rolls in, there will be a lot of changes for me. As I mentally prepare myself, I have to remember not to loose myself in it all and get carried away. I’ve learned to try and take life one day at a time (or i’m attempting as much). I’m hoping this break I can start back into writing and find my rhythm once again, since after all doing the things you love is a good key to happiness.