The new season approaches

New seasons of life are indeed scary, but oh so exciting. I still cannot believe I am starting college in a matter of days. As this new season approaches, I'm getting a lot of mixed emotions. We as humans get so comfortable with the familiar, and when a new season comes, it hurts to let go. It's natural. My high school years were truly amazing, good days and bad. I wouldn't trade them for the world. Now, I step into a world of unfamiliarity. The funny thing is, I'm not actually stepping very far. I'm not going far away to school and moving into a dorm like all my friends. In fact, I'm actually going to a university I've grown up being on. My dad taught there. My track team practiced there. My parents are both alumni there. It's in my city. Sometimes I wonder why I chose the university that I did. I could have taken a huge leap and moved away...but I didn't. I don't think it was fear or anxiety of being far away from home that was a deal breaker in my choice. I actually love being far away from home without my family when I get the chance. A big part of it was money. Financially, this really was the best choice. I can't quite explain the main reason why I chose my college, though. It wasn't my dream school. I didn't even think about going there. When the decision needed to be made, however, I knew it was where I needed to be.

I think because I'm not going along with the modern trend of going away to school that people don't really see my transition as that big of a deal. To them, because I'm still under my parents' roof I'm not really experiencing independence and the passage into adulthood and college. For a while...I believed them. Then the new season starting getting closer, and I knew things were going to change. Will I be experiencing independence? You better believe it. I don't have the same relationship with my parents that I did when I was younger. Just because I'm living in their house does not mean they are by my side every minute. They aren't making decisions for me any longer. They aren't telling me how to spend my free time or who to hang out with. They are not telling me how or when to study (but I'm really thankful when they give advice...my parents are pretty brilliant). They aren't telling me how to spend my money. They expect that if I want to live under their roof for free, I will be responsible, respectful, and mature. My parents have trained and disciplined me my whole life to be able to have this new freedom but use it wisely, no matter how near or far away from home. 

So, yes, though I am still living with my parents, I will still have to be just as independent and adult-like as someone who lives in a dorm in another state.

I don't know what God has in store for the next four years of my life. Its the great unknown, and anything could happen. This is where I begin to become the person the Lord has created me to be. And that excites me. It's a new chapter He's already written and I know its going to be good. The possibilities? Endless.

I love my city. I love my home. I love my family. I love my friends. I love my school. God planted me in this place for a reason. If I'm being honest, I'm glad I'm not leaving just yet. I can't wait to see what this new season will look like in the same place I've always lived.

I wave farewell to my sweet season as a child and warmly embrace this new season as an adult. Even though it's not quite that sweet of a transition sometimes. More like nausea before the sickness.