Left Behind

I hear people talking about how badly they can't wait until they get out of Radford. How bad is it? I don't get it. Sure, the scenery hasn't changed much in the last four years. Sure, there isn't much to do. But, it's not a bad place to live. It's quite, affordable, and safe (relatively). I don't understand why people are so anxious to abandon the place I've called home since I was a freshman.

That being said, I can't wait to move. Hypocritical? No. I love Radford and have enjoyed living here, but I need to move on. I need to find a job that pays well in a city that has more to offer. Radford is a wonderful place, but it's not where I need to be at this point in my life. You can only grow so much in one place. In order to continue growing and challenging myself, I need to step outside my comfort zone. I need to face my face and experience the unknown.

This sense of longing to move on creates the nagging fear of being left behind. My one roommate, Lora, got a job in Florida. She moved out this morning and is settling into her new home and life. I'm envious. My apartment doesn't feel like home anymore. Without her here, it's just feels like a place that I'm staying at temporarily. I'm anxious to start my new life. I want a chic studio in DC with a rewarding job and a daily commute on the Metro.

I feel like there is an unspoken sense of failure if I stay in Radford. I believe that it would be a much bigger risk to move to some random city without first finding a job and an apartment, but that's me. I don't want to be that guy who couldn't cut the apron strings. I don't want to be the guy who never leaves the college town.

I feel like everyone has a plan. Some of my friends are getting their Master's degree, some are working, some are traveling, some are teaching in China. What am I doing? I don't know. That answer was fine during sophomore and junior year. But, I'm done with college. That answer doesn't work anymore. I need to find my place in...the world. God, that sounds so cliché, but it's true. I don't want to be left behind.