She had been through a wave of emotions already, “Is this a good idea?”, “Will I like it?”, “What about my family and friends?”, “Will it be hard?”. At first, she questioned if it was just a dream she had that she could never follow through with. Then, she was terrified. The thought of leaving everything behind and starting completely over with little help frightened her beyond belief. After talking herself out of the terror and her comfort zone, she was excited again, but it didn’t take long for that excitement to turn into guilt. Remembering again that she would be leaving not only everything behind, but everyone as well. The guilt of not being in their lives and leaving them felt like abandonment. Would they forgive her and still love her? She was talked out of this feeling by the very people she felt she was abandoning, returning her yet again to the realm of excitement. She was ready to leave the nest, to jump the cliff, she isn’t afraid of heights. She isn’t afraid of anything. The world offers so much more for her than the tiny life she had been accustomed to living. The small town, the barriers, the trauma; she was ready to put it all behind her and finally start stepping forward. No longer would she wonder “what if?”, no more would she despise herself for being stuck for so long. As a young girl, she had made the vow to escape the small town she grew up in. She was going to conquer the world, even though she didn’t know how at the time. Taking the huge leap seemed so easy on paper, but it has shown to be a lot more difficult than she ever could have imagined.

Luckily, she is not alone. After years of missteps and misfortunes, she had finally found her cliché, “the one”. He was kind and forgiving. He was sensitive, yet strong and sturdy. He was gentle, gentler than anyone she had ever known. Gentle with her feelings, with others, with his view on the world. The only person he was not gentle with was himself, but fortunately he had her to be gentle with him. They balanced each other out like yin and yang, fire and earth. She always had her head in the clouds, ready to fly off to whatever adventure presented itself. She had no fear and wore her heart on her sleeve. She was an open book with the pages torn and not a speck of dust on the cover. He was similar in ways, but his strengths were of a different variety. He was far more grounded than she. He was practical and level-headed. Although he was forgetful, he was brutally honest and straight-forward. He never shot down her dreams, but instead offered a much more logical, and often safer, approach. He was the Earth she stood on, sturdy and stable, the rock she leaned on and the string to her kite. She was the fire in his heart, bringing passion and an open outlook that allowed him to see the world through a whole new lens. They fueled one another in all the best ways, allowing each to transform into the most whole version of themselves. They were the perfect partners, complementing one another’s best qualities and working together to strengthen their flaws. Having each other made this giant decision come more easily and shrunk their fears down to crumbs. Together, they could accomplish anything and together, they were never alone.