Hi all!
This past week or so has been a crazy one! I officially moved out of my place in Grand Rapids, and into a new one in Chicago. It has been a roller coaster of emotions to say the least. I visited home (Petoskey), before the move, and it brought me back to all my childhood memories. While moving away after college seems like it is not much different than moving away after high school, to me it just solidified the fact that I am truly becoming independent, self-reliant, and actually "growing up". I sat at the end of our dock, reflecting on on my memories growing up on the Lake, and in Northern Michigan. I feel so lucky to of grown up the way I did... My parents were very kind enough to drive me down to Chicago, and help me move my things in. On the drive, we reflected on what it is like to grow up in Petoskey, and how it has shaped me into who I am today. The culture of Petoskey is different than most. When I say where I went to high school, it does not put a pice tag on my forehead, unlike many other areas. There was only one public high school in a thirty mile radius; so I got to go to school with many different kinds of people, from different kinds of homes, all with different perspectives on life. With that being said, I had the opportunity to be involved in numerous programs that treated everyone the same, and they taught me truly what it means to work hard for what you want. One organization I was involved in (for seven years), was the the Petoskey Band program. This organization taught me how to be discipline, that I will be treated no different than the person next to me, how to respect authority, you get out what you put in, and that being early is on-time- all very valuable life lessons. People can give others the tools to succeed, but the only way to achieve success is to put in the hard work when no one is watching. This program opened my eyes to that. Without getting too deep into how thankful I am for how and where I grew up, and to explain why I am even talking about this - I think I am just now coming to realize that it is what makes me unique. I got to grow up waving to people walking their dog as I drove by, letting our dogs run around unleashed, going to the grocery store and always seeing someone I knew, growing up going to school with the some of the same people since kindergarten all the way until senior year, and really appreciating the small things and meaning of life. I was taught good morals, the importance of maintaining relationships, and seeing things for what they are. These traits I will take with me everywhere. Moving to Chicago is a big change, but I will never forget where I came from. And Petoskey will always be my home! You truly never know what you have until it's gone, so always be sure to take a moment and appreciate what you have right now, in this very moment; be thankful for it, and take something positive away from it. Because you will never have this exact moment, again. Jen
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