There are three lessons I have begun learning recently, that I know are changing me for the better. The first: the world is full of surprises. The second: independence is easier said than done. The third: everything will work itself out in the end.
Spring semester, I didn’t really know what I was going to be doing for the summer. For a while, I was looking for internships. Then, I was looking for summer camp jobs. Then, I just started looking for jobs in general. I applied to a few places in Chapel Hill, thought I got a job, looked for a room, didn’t hear from said job, and moved home. Then, I got a call from my favorite restaurant on Franklin Street – Supdogs. And all of a sudden, I was packing up, and moving to Chapel Hill for the summer.
Well, technically, I still haven’t moved yet. I am currently sleeping in an empty room in the house of one of my sorority sisters (shoutout to Ashley for letting me crash for a few days). Then, I will go home, get my things, and officially move into an apartment. This weekend will be one of my last in Mount Airy for a while.
This summer, I am paying for everything – groceries, rent, parking spot, gas, etc. For the first time in my life, I am going to attempt to be financially independent from my parents. And guess what? I’m terrified.
I have always been a fairly independent person. As a kid, I never wanted my parents to help me with my homework. As I got older, I gradually kept seeking out doing things on my own. I guess another word that could be used to describe me is headstrong – sometimes I tell everyone I can do things by myself, but in all honesty, I have no idea what I’m doing.
I’m not good at saving money – something that I have to work on this summer, since I will be in charge of my own finances. I have to stop impulsively spending money on burritos and clothes. I’m creating a budget for the first time in my life so that I won’t spend my money as soon as I get it.
And yet, I am so thankful that I get to have this slightly terrifying experience. I’m glad that my parents trust me enough to let me live on my own. I’m glad that I am working at a real job for the first time in my life, and getting to work at a place that I truly love to spend time at. I’m glad that I get to spend two months in my favorite place on Earth, with no stress except making money and keeping myself alive.
Summer sixteen, watch out – I’m comin for ya.