Return with Elixir

I've completed this Hero's Journey with so much knowledge about myself.  I've learned a lot about the things I need to do when faced with these types of situations, like be humble and patient. I've learned that it's okay to be disappointed when things don't work out the way you've planned them. However, I've also learned that it's not okay to take that disappointment out on others.

 I've realized that my dreams are still going to come true, whether I attend the school of my dreams or not. I want to be a journalist, and I can do that no matter where I go. My career dream still has the potential to come true, and so does my life dream. No matter where I go, I want to be a leader. I want to change the lives of others for the better, so in turn they will want to do the same for someone else. That dream can come true whether I'm in Brunswick County, or Buies Creek, or even Wilmington, North Carolina. I want to inspire those around me. 

I'd just like to tell everyone that it's so important to have a dream - have millions of them. No dream is too big. Always remember, though, some dreams don't come true. That doesn't mean you're a failure. That doesn't mean you won't achieve your other dreams. It just means that there is something better out there waiting for you than you dreamed for yourself. Don't be bitter over life's disappointments. We all have to face the fact that life isn't fair. It isn't fair to anyone, so don't think it's just you. It isn't. Be inspired by the beauty you see in the world. Chase after your dreams, and if some of them don't come true, at least you can say you tried. Don't ever stop believing in yourself and your potential. You can do and be anything; you just have to let yourself go where life leads you. 

I'm ready to embark on my new journey at UNCW. I am confident that I will find myself there, and it will be more than I could have ever imagined for myself. That's what life is all about, right? Finding yourself and becoming your own person. After all, life is about the journey, not the destination.

Crossing the First Threshold

After fretting (to death) about my college decision internally for a few weeks, I finally decided to sit down and talk to my parents about money. I had this grand speech planned out, and I just knew I was going to walk away becoming a camel in the fall. 

Well, needless to say, that all crashed and burned. 

As soon as I started to talk about money and loans, my parents simply stated that they couldn't sign a loan for me because they didn't sign them for my sisters. It really was as simple as that. Loans were the only way I was ever going to be able to afford Campbell, so when they told me that I knew the decision was made...

In August of 2013, I would become a UNCW Seahawk. 

I sent in my enrollment deposit the next day, and slowly tried to let go of one of my dreams.

Hello Wilmington, NC

Goodbye, Buies Creek.

Refusal of the Call

I thought about my college decision a lot constantly, and I came to a conclusion:

I absolutely did not want to go to UNCW. I didn't have the same feeling about it that I had about Campbell. I wasn't ready to start a life there. I hadn't ever planned on going there. I knew I wouldn't fit in at UNCW. I refused to call Wilmington home. I wasn't ready to give up my dream yet. I was determined to make Campbell work. Buies Creek would be my home in the fall. 

UNCW was not an option.