As I was watching the final episodes on one of my favorite television shows, Shameless, I was reminded of not feeling guilty if I decide to move away from Missouri. In the show, Fiona, has what I would call a moment of clarity and hops on a plane to see what life has to offer outside of South Chicago. She doesn’t leave in a fight with any of her brothers or sisters and leaves with an indifference to her father. I believe she doesn’t even know where her brother Liam is.
I have been feeling so heavy regarding my next move because of leaving my family. I have no arguments with my brother and sister and I love my parents very much. I feel to prosper I have to leave my roots and spread my wings over new skies. The show really put into perspective how easy it is to make a choice without the consideration of anything but the best thing for myself.
I have left St Joseph before in my mid-twenties to pursue my dream of going to art school in a huge city, San Francisco, CA. I graduated from the Academy of Art University in 2011 and had my art studio. I was working 3 jobs to make the rent payments for my small room in Little Italy. It was a total dream come true until I got completely burnt out. Being a barista in the morning, an artist by day and a bartender/server by night day in and day out was exhausting.
I had fantastic roommates. A stripper and a co-worker from the coffee shop surprising were the correct equation for co-habitation. We all worked strange hours but everything worked perfectly. Now, I have a boyfriend that I live with fabulously. So, if we did it once shouldn’t we be able to do it again?
Regardless of the outcome, I feel more confident than ever that where we choose to call home after Dec 2019, it will be another experience of learning and growing together. Most of all, I will have made a choice based on how it affects my life and things I want to accomplish. Instead of scared of the choice, I’m now ready and sort of excited to see where life leads us in the coming year. With a world full of exciting places to live, there is no doubt in my mind that there is adventure to be had in my very near future.