Taking Chances

Taking chances in life is probably one of the hardest things to do. I mean seriously, what's the point except that you increase your chances of failure and getting hurt exponentially.

OK... so it maybe isn't all that bad. When one takes chances, the opportunity for new things, new people, and new experiences comes around. The chance of finding out a little more about your own limits might happen. But really, what after that?

For me, I don't generally take chances all that often. I usually stick to the fairly safe decision when it come to deciding between two choices. I can't help it. And I do this in all things. When I graduated from college, I moved to Atlanta, and took a job working at the same place that Samantha worked. I mean, she got me the job basically. Many said (Tom mostly) that by moving to Atlanta I was taking a chance, and leaping into the unknown. I literally graduated and then moved out of town immediately- on the same day. But really, what chances did I take? I moved to a city that I had never lived in, true. But I moved in with family. No scaries there. Then I took a job with Samantha who is a friend of mine, and her dad was basically my boss. Again- no scaries there (except that I had to be a receptionist in a body shop... that part was kinda scary). I didn't move to Atlanta knowing nobody. Like I said, I did have some family (aunt, uncle, cousin). I also had a small group of friends from Shotgun, and I thank whatever deity is up there looking over the universe that I had them. I know that I wouldn't have gotten through those few months without them. So really, no scaries there--- not best friends, but they all turned out to be after just a few months (and still are). Since then, I have kept living with my family, played ultimate with basically the same people that I knew when I first moved here, and gone to graduate school. Grad school gets its own scary category, but not in this post.

I sometimes wonder why I didn't really try to go to school out west. That would have been super duper scary. To literally move across the country at 18 and completely start over would have been amazing and pee in your pants scary at the same time. I admire LP-eezy for doing it! I wish I had known about federal loans a little more so that I could have done something crazy like that. Instead when my parents told me "No Caroline, you can't even apply to schools out west because it doesn't matter if you get in. We can't afford it, and your test scores and grades are not good enough to get enough scholarships to cover the difference" I just applied to one school. ONE. I applied to the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and obviously I got in. 3.5 of the best years of my life (yes- I graduated a semester early. No, I do not recommend this path to ANYONE). I didn't do the Greek thing, I played ultimate, and I kinda started over with that crowd. But in the end, I still had my security blanket that is my friends from Memphis. So, no chances there.

Now, I have decided to turn over a new leaf on life. I'm taking chances. I mean, why not? What have I really got to lose? Like I said, the chances of me failing or getting hurt go up, but what am I missing if I don't take those chances? I'm pretty sure I would regret never knowing more than the outcome. So, I'm still putting all my energy into getting a job in Colorado. I am currently waiting on the results of last week's phone interview. I hope that I get this job so that I can stop stressing about it. But if it doesn't work out, well then I keep trying. This is something I want. I don't think I'll live there forever- unfortunately the South is in my blood, and I love it. But it is definitely time for something new and different. I want to experience life somewhere else. I want a real winter! Eventually, I'll come back south though---it's just too good (green and beautiful, memories all over the place, and nothing in the world beats the people!). But for now, the west is calling my name, and I'll do everything I can to get out there and start over. It's so time.

Other than that, I've decided to take more chances in every part of my life. If I want something I am going to go after it, because that is what life is about. I can't be afraid of always getting hurt, because then nothing good will ever happen to me. So this time, I really am going to live life by my motto:

No regrets. No exceptions. No excuses.