Leaving home should not be seen as a bad thing. In fact, it thoroughly irks me when someone tries to make me feel bad for saying that I want to leave home. So what? Does this have impact on anyone else's life? No. Saying I want to leave home does not mean I love my family any less or that I don't like where I'm from. Heck, ask anyone who knows me and I bet they'll say I'm annoyingly obnoxious about Maryland and the flag and how I always get into arguments with people over why it's the best state in the country (because it is, don't fight me on this).

There is no reason for me to not love my home state or the people in it, but that doesn't mean I don't like change. I want to explore and experience as much of this beautiful world as I can before it becomes virtually impossible for me to do so. I need to see what I can, meet people that are different, and try new things wherever I can. Leaving home means packing up my stuff and venturing off into the world to explore and experience everything that I can. It means moving on to bigger and better things that I know I can accomplish away from home. What it doesn't mean is leaving my family behind and never seeing them again.

It doesn't mean forgetting about everyone back home who helped me get to where I am and becoming the person that I am today. It does not mean that my heart has left my beloved state or the beautiful people in it. All leaving home means is growing up and chasing your dreams, not forgetting where you came from.