The Road Less Traveled

I hail from a tiny town in the Midwest. Population: Just over 1,600. My home was large and my family raised cattle and chickens. Because hey, that's what people do, right? I lived with my parents (who are still married to this day, a feat rivaled in today's society) and my younger brother of two years. It was a good life - simple and non-complex. I knew my place in the world and had no qualms with it...at least not for the first 23 years of my life.

Then I met Mary, an amazing woman with wisdom to share. She opened my eyes to the possibilities, stating that I was young so why shouldn't I live and peruse my dreams before it's too late. In late 2011, I realized that the one thing I wanted more than anything else was to move and get out of the Midwest. Along the way, I met Joe -- a native Washingtonian, who stole my heart and promised me the world. We lived and loved for a year, before the love dwindled and he left me. Honestly, it left me devastated (as any long-term relationship that dies would). For over a week, I bawled my eyes out and kept on with the self-hatred, as I assumed it was my fault the relationship had withered and died.

Then a good friend of mine, Steven, came into my life and showed me that there's more to life than heartbreak. He taught me to stay positive and change my way of thinking; that I am an amazing person and that I deserve the world. And like the spark that ignites the bomb, my life changed. I'm moving closer to where I work (there is nothing like the hatred of stop-and-go traffic). I'm spending more time with new friends. I'm focusing on bettering myself and learning to love who I am.

It's odd to think of the circumstances that brought me to where I am now. But truth be told, I wouldn't change a single thing. Life is about being happy with yourself and I'm finally on my way to achieving that.