There isn't anything out there that there isn't here, I guess. I'd still be short on money, short on friends sometimes, and if anything, I'd be putting myself through hardships I have luckily been steered around here in Illinois, but I was ready to leave that moment, not even pack our bags. It's all about the freedom and it's all about the adventure. How many times in your life can you say that you did something in one instant that you knew would change your life forever and quite literally set you free from all the current turmoil in your life? I'm guessing you haven't. Never in your life have you ever just done something, anything, that you knew would toss your whole life up in the air, without even a hint as to where the pieces would land. I wanted to. I still do, I guess, I'm just waiting for another inspiration. Maybe she'll call me someday telling me her bags are packed and the car's gassed up.

      My story isn't anything amazing, yet I held that young calculus student's attention and you could tell she was well on the way to her own revelations. It seems there are too many people in this world looking for a change, just some way to mix it up and possibly rearrange the pieces of this life into a smile and into a laugh.

     Another friend of mine, well he's quitting school. After this semester, he's dropping out of a school I wasn't even accepted to. He's going to find himself, he says, and I, for one, support him. Surprisingly enough, everyone seems to be supporting him, thinking he's doing the right thing. The mass support amazed him as it amazed me; we didn't know that there were that many people looking to escape their lives. There are a decent amount of people out there that almost admire him for not giving in to the accepted game plan for life and for striking out on his own. Even if he falls flat on his face and ends up at the same school