A letter to myself

Dear Future Self,

I’ve got about 3 months, slightly less, left in Blacksburg. Then I embark on the journey of moving to Atlanta and starting grad school, which will hopefully result in a job in public health and international travel. The trade off is I’m leaving my home of nine years, a steady job, lots of friends, and probably a sense of stability for a while.

I hope I don’t regret this move, this money spent on graduate school, this self induced whirlwind of change. But if in the future things get rough, or I miss Blacksburg, which I’m sure I will, I want you to know my reasons for the change.

I want to go somewhere different. I want to live in an area bigger than Blacksburg while I’m single, and able to move around and do things on a whim. I love Blacksburg and always will, but I don’t want to put roots down at age 18 and never move- it’s just not who I am.

I want to try something new career wise. I have enjoyed both jobs I’ve had in Blacksburg in chemistry, but I’ve decided I want to branch out from the lab a bit. I also don’t have a lot of room to move up with my current education level in chemistry.

I want to travel overseas and help people on different levels- personally, locally, nationally, internationally. Public health seems to be a great way to combine my interests of people, helping people and service, medicine, science, and education.

I want to teach. But I also know that I want to travel and do things overseas, and I feel like I’m going to regret not doing those things now when I feel like I have the chance. Hence why the masters in public health instead of masters in education.

As I’m finishing up my Blacksburg years, I’m trying to weed through stuff and simultaneously declutter my life as well as preserve the memories of this time in my life. I want to be free to move around and make new memories in Decatur. But I also want to remember the good and bad times from here, the great friends, how I grew. So I hope in the future I’m not sad that I through some stuff away. But even though some of the things I’m tossing evoke memories, I want to make room for new ones.

I’m stepping into the unknown here, and for the most part I’m excited. But if in the future I regret some part of this decision- moving, grad school, new career, throwing stuff out- the reason I did it is this: I’d rather regret doing something than not doing something. I might be upset at myself in the future for doing this. But I know I’d be upset at myself in the future for not doing it.

So future self, I have thought this through and I hope it works out. And I promise that I did at least try J

Love,

Me