I missed my two year anniversary. I moved to Charleston on August 3, 2013. I was 22.
My parents were sad, my brothers were sad, my extended family was sad, my friends were sad. Heck, my pup Cookie was even sad...I think. And I was sad to go. But when I graduated college, I knew I needed to leave Illinois. Quickly.
It's not that I had anything against Illinois (Southern Illinois to clarify). I still don't. It's easily one of my favorite places to be in the world...and that's saying something. I just knew that I wouldn't find what I was looking for there. It was too easy. I would become complacent. Go through the motions. Blah blah blah.
I missed celebrating my two year anniversary of moving to Charleston. I missed celebrating the most important decision I've made in my life thus far.
I chose Charleston on a whim, basically. Which, up until very recently, has been how I have made all of my major life decisions. Cue my parents chagrin. I really knew nothing about Charleston except that (1) it was the place where my dream job was located and (2) the crotchety old & dead John C. Calhoun hailed from its historic streets. When I officially got the job, I didn't even look up in google images what I had signed up for. That's trust.
For some people, type A's probably, my re-telling of this story is causing you stress. Imagine your stress times 1,000 - this is what my parents and loved ones were feeling. I was just so excited to be doing something new - something in which I didn't know if everything was going to work out. I think that is what made it easier for them to let me go.
I missed celebrating my two year anniversary of moving to Charleston. I missed celebrating moving to Charleston because I was too busy living in it.
Two years of AmeriCorps VISTA and two years at Reading Partners. Now I can say I'm starting my third year at Reading Partners and thank god I'm not a VISTA. I was hired full-time. I made it to the big leagues. I'm a real adult. I'm I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T...okay you get it. It wasn't a hard choice. They offered me the job and I wholeheartedly accepted. I believe so much in what I'm doing and where I'm doing it. Every day, I get to see kids' lives transform. Their little brains are being prepared for a life I know will be brighter and fuller. This one thought makes waking up for work worth it.
Because of my job, I made friends. And the friends I made introduced me to their friends. And so on. I've made a lot of really great friends and I am so thankful.
So, I don't just stay in Charleston because of my job, or the beautiful scenery, or the great friends I have. I stay because my collective experiences here have made it a home. It is a place where I can thrive and do things on my own, or not do things on my own. A place where I feel safe and loved. A place where I can find something new to appreciate every day. A place where I can eat the best fried chicken in the world and not feel guilty for the amount of grease I've consumed. A place where PBR is cheap and available everywhere (ya'll knew I was going to bring it back to that).
Charleston is a place where I want to be. Thanks for letting me be.
Always and forever - LYLAS - Kate
