In the backwoods of Tennessee a girl learns what it means to be independent. There are no words to describe the countless amount of busted knees, bonked heads and cut up elbows I have experienced up until now. I grew up in a place where chitlins, frog legs and catfish are delicacies. That is where I call home.

My world up until a year ago was submerged in guns, hunting, four wheeling and mud. It was the life but not the life for me. I was always the type to have dreams bigger than my surroundings. My grandma says I started trying to read and write before I even knew how to do them. That is a surprise when you come from a town where half the people do not know the difference between there, their and they're. Needless to say, I grew up as the introverted child in the back of the classroom. I kept all of my creativity reserved until I went home and could write and read back in my room.

When I got into high school, life began to change for me. I made friends who were interested in many of the same things as I was. They were a lot more Gothic and hard core than I was, but I finally fit in with a group of people. I began to write poetry and find myself encapsulated by the rhythm and sway of the words. I fell in love with Hemingway, Frost and Shakespeare. That was the birth of my interesting personality.

I began to write and write non-stop until my fingers hurt. I didn't care about hunting or mudding or not fitting in. All I cared about were the words on that paper and how they expressed my inner most desire of freedom. Freedom to be a word. A single word that describes a particular subject of the cosmos. I began to become the word myself.

After discovering myself, I became the Flights editor for our high school's creative writing magazine. It was my dream, and I loved sharing the beauty of words with my redneck populace. That time of my life was absolute bliss, but it ended with my senior year in high school.

This past year I began my life journey. "This is the real beginning of life," my grandmother would say in her southern drawl. "This is your time to be an adult," said literally everyone else. I wanted to prove to them that I could take my dreams and achieve them. That is why this redneck came to the city of Memphis.

When I first came to Memphis, I was scared out of my mind. The driving was so scary. I had never seen so many cars in my life! My heart was racing. I was made fun of my first day and the days after for my accent and a lot of the things I knew were irrelevant here. I soon forgot my writing. There was no passion in me to write. Everything I once knew had dissipated into a world of hustling and bustling people.

I went for seven months without writing. I felt bogged down and stressed. My life was good and my grades were high, but I had no passion. That was until I met my best friend. She encouraged me and made me laugh again. She reminded me that just because I am not at home, I am not a different person. I am still who I am where ever I go, and people will love me where ever I go. She reminded me why I came to Memphis and how important my dreams are to me. I am forever grateful.

In summation, our lives are ever revolving around our dreams. We are meant to chase them and achieve them. Our dreams are our powerhouses for innovation and excitement! We must ever remember who we are and that our dreams are part of the word "myself." No matter where we are our dreams should always be remembered and never forgotten. Life is all about our dreams. A stereotype of redneck should not define who you are as an individual. Your dreams should define you and grow you. Rememeber that you are not what people label you as.