This last Sunday was the last day of school for me. Providing I pass this class (while I feel confident in this, I’m still waiting on grades to post), I’ll be done with my second Masters Degree!!! It’s sort of a crazy thing really. I don’t know what the future holds for me right now, but I’m confident that writing is a big part of it. Since I enrolled for my most recent degree, my life has changed substantially.

About a year and a half ago I decided that it was time to consider going back to school or finding a job. I wasn’t sure what I was doing with my life anymore. Often when this is the case I enroll in school. A girl doesn’t earn four separate degrees over night.

For the first time in years I felt at peace with my life and my choices. I spent a lot of time on the road last year traveling. I drove coast to cost and back again, ultimately stopping in twenty two unique states and somewhere close to forty in all. In that time I worked out a lot of my personal baggage. Let me tell you this, if you spend enough time on the open road alone — you too can work on your demons, make friendly and even put some of them too bed.

I knew back in December of 2013 that I needed to commit to something instead of being aimless. I choose my writing. I started my first blog, and it grew from there. Going to school offered me the time to grow as a writer. Well, I’m done with school now and what do I have to show for it? I have (or will in a month after it’s printed) a very expensive paper showing my commitment to my education. I have a completed manuscript (!!!!). I’m a contributing writer for a book being published by National Geographic! I have new projects in the works. I owe it all to my education. (I’ll owe a lot more when I have to pay on those student loans but that’s a different subject)

I guess what I’m trying to say is stay present. Every opportunity I’ve had was because I was where I was, I work really hard for what I want, and I was willing to put myself out on a limb for my art. We are the sum of our experiences. If I hadn’t gone back to school, I might not have met my connections with NatGeo. I might not have (on a whim) played with my writing partner’s story turning it into a novel, surprising us both that we might have a future together – writing. I’m saying: the world tosses us into situations and that sometimes it’s about taking the best things we can from them. Sometimes a door closes and a window opens, sometimes that door closes and you find a sledge hammer and claw your way out. I guess I’m just feeling really thankful today for the opportunities that have landed on my doorstep. I’m looking forward to the future and all that will come.