Over this past summer I have been given the opportunity to move back home. The whole last school year I had been on the hunt for this fabulous internship where I would move to a large city, and have this incredible experience where I learned so much. I had a very busy school year where I had became physically, emotionally, and artistically drained. By the end of the school year, I had realized that I wasn't happy with how I was feeling about school, life, and what my plans were for the summer.

I had searched and searched but nothing seemed to feel right or click for me.

One day, my mom called me and told me this story about how she found an internship for me, but it meant that I would be moving home. Over the next week, I had figured out and finalized my internship and my summer plans were set. I was moving home. Some of you reading this may think this would be the last thing you would want to do. And in some ways, it was for me. I had these big dreams of going to Nashville, or Chicago where I would work downtown and experience the greatest summer of my life. Instead, I was packing my bags and moving home where I was in the comfort of my hometown.

I had my worries about this. I was worried that this would set me back from all of the other people in my major going to different places. I was worried that I wouldn't be productive enough with my classes, internship, or my own self. Little did I realize that this move home would be the biggest blessing that I needed.

Over the last two months, I have felt my soul and self become itself again. I have been able to take the time to do things I normally wouldn't have anywhere else. While being at home, I have been able to take time for myself to really think about what I want as a person moving forward this year. These included spending quality time with my family, reading books that I have wanted to read forever, I started writing again, getting caught up on my school work, I took time to be by myself to gather my thoughts, spent time with my friends, and I have had the greatest internship that I didn't see coming.

My internship has been something that has pushed me, gave me the opportunity to show what I have learned through my studies, creatively pushed me and helped mend my artistic void, and gain connections that I never would have had before. I was placed with someone who really valued my ideas and made me realize that I should be confident in what I know and what I am passionate about. Over the last year, I feel that I was being swallowed by everyone around me and my confidence in my artistic ability and ideas really shrunk. Because of my internship I was able to really gain my confidence back, and it sparked my love for my schooling and what I am going to do for my future.

I have had one of the best summers of my life.

As I go into this school year, I am feeling very positive about where I am as a person. I am motivated to keep my lifestyle healthy, my creativity souring, and keeping my soul happy.

Sometimes the greatest things are thing's you never saw coming.

Whenever you feel that you are at a stand still in your life, have faith that good things are coming your way. Find that "place" that will let you find yourself again because it is so important in moving forward.