Home means a lot of thing to a lot of different people, to me home is a safe place, my favorite place. I would constantly be hearing people say and post statuses about dreaming of the day they would “finally” leave their hometown and start new somewhere else. Well, I did that and I’m here to tell you it’s one of the best things I’ve done. Keep in mind I was someone who always said I would never leave, I was home bound until the end. There was no place I’d rather be, and this was the problem.

Everyone has a comfort zone and trust me it’s hard to leave that comfort zone. For me, the comfort zone was home, the small quarters of Virginia Beach that felt so tiny and close. It was the routine I had fallen into of school and work and the close group of friends that I’d had since elementary school. It was living nowhere other than the house I came home to from the hospital with my parents that have been by my side since day one. I was never prepared to leave any of this. Until I did.

About a year ago I had the opportunity to move to the big city of Philadelphia, PA to work as a live-in nanny. This seemed crazy to me, how was I ever going to leave home and go somewhere so far and so big and unknown. Weeks and days leading up to the move there was nothing but anxiety flowing through me, a day didn’t go by where I didn’t have a panic attack and I thought I was going to have to carry my suitcase back up the stairs and unpack it. It took about everything in me to get myself into that car and leave home.

Now, if you’re anything like me, an anxious girl, who loves sticking to the same game every day then listen to this, you need to do it. Your time is now. Leaving home will grow you in ways you never knew possible, it opens your eyes to so many different things, and it really shows you what is important in life. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that the Lord takes us out of our comfort zones to grow us in other places. I was getting so into my everyday routine that I was becoming like a robot. I was pouring my energy into things that weren’t worth pouring into and people that I didn’t need to be around. Removing yourself will only make you see things clearer. It’s been almost a year now since I moved away, and luckily with many visits I have learned that it’s the only place I want to be, but I appreciate it so much more than I ever have before.