Leaving the Nest

I've been doing a lot of examining my life lately. I'll be graduating (finally!) in a little over a year and then I'll be thrust into the world of adulthood. So I'm starting to think about what that means and how my life is going to change. Okay, apart from the obvious-I'll have to get a real job and move out of my parents' house-my life is going to be completely turned upside down. Especially since I'm already planning my exodus from this city as soon as the diploma is in my hands. The plan is to apply to the Boards of Education in and around the Atlanta area and pray something opens up. That means, "Bye-bye, Augusta. Hello, new city!" My parents aren't big fans of this plan. If my dad had his way, I would work safely in a Columbia County school and stay living in the same bedroom I've lived in since I was five-years-old. If my mom had her way, I would get married to some guy she approves of and have grandchildren while living within walking distance. Neither one of them are too happy to hear of my own plan to hit the ground running as soon as I graduate. It's not that I'm planning to leave Augusta because I want to get away from my parents. That couldn't be further from the truth. I lucked out in the parental department. My parents are two of the most amazing people on the planet. I count my lucky stars the Lord gave me such a wonderful set of parents to be raised by. The reason I want to leave Augusta is because I think this city has given me everything it can. I feel like there's nothing left for me here. I want to truly stand on my own two feet for the first time in my life. I am a fiercely independent person by nature, but it's hard to see how independent I can truly be when my parents are a phone call away. My dad changes the oil in my car, pays my cell phone bill, and does my taxes. My mom cooks dinner for me, folds my laundry, and buys my clothes. In a word, I'm kind of spoiled. I've never really thought of myself as spoiled before. I've always thought that spoiled girls were the kind of girls on MTV's My Sweet Sixteen. You know, the girls living in these huge houses with a brand-new luxury car and Daddy's credit card in their Coach purses. That is so not me. I grew up in the south side of town, referred to "South Augusta," which comes with its own negative connotation. My parents aren't wealthy...well, monetarily anyway. But I am slightly spoiled. In the fact that I can't cook and I have no idea how to change a tire. Why should I have to? My parents have always provided for me in those ways. That is exactly why I want to head to a new city after I graduate. So I can stretch my wings and learn what true independence is. So I can make my own mistakes and have to clean up my own mess. The summers I spent in Daytona on Beach Project and in South Africa on CCP have given me a glimpse into what my life could like once I move out and have my own life. It's exciting. Okay, yes, it's a little scary, but isn't that what life is all about? The exciting paired with the scary? I'm sure it won't be easy and I might not be as positive about this plan the closer it gets, but I'm confident I have someone on my side who will get me there: the Lord. God has plans for me, "to prosper [me] and not to harm [me], to give [me] hope and a future." God is preparing a way for me and even if I do pack up and head to Atlanta in the near future, He's going to protect me. Because that's what He promised.