Uprooted and transplanted

Some years of life just breeze by. Little things happen. Maybe some big things happen -- but nothing that really shapes your life.
But some years are milestones. These are the years when you change something about yourself. Because of something that happened in that year, your life takes a new path.

As another year comes to an end, I have been thinking about this quite a bit. Normally I do not dwell on age or upcoming birthdays, but I think the events of the past year have made me think about these milestone years.

So, here are some milestone years in my life. This is not an exhaustive list, but I chose the milestones that involved replanting myself:

• Year 17 - I decided that Grinnell College was the place for me. I went on a campus visit with my mom and my friend Lisa when I was a junior, and I was hooked immediately. I didn't apply anywhere else. And once I was there, I knew that I had found the right place.
  

• Year 25 - With no friends or family in the area, I moved to Brainerd, Minnesota. I had been living in Chicago and loving it, except I had no money. I had quit my teaching job there and was working retail. I knew I had to move, and so I found the Brainerd job online, and took a leap. And I loved it. I made the best friends, and I loved my job.

• Year 32 - I needed a change in my life, so I quit the job I loved and left the friends who made me happy. I moved to DeKalb to pursue my master's degree in Film & Literature. So far, so good.

I guess I'll just see how I grow.