I spent so many years of my life bitter with my parents for moving to this area in the late 80s from Queens. I remember my sisters getting to stay behind because they were older, and in an instant, I became an only child. I was in the middle of nowhere with no friends and no siblings to play with, and even though I made friends and ended up doing well in Norwich, I will still determined to leave. And I did.

Then I came back.

So here I am, after two and a half years of being back, and I’m realizing that it’s not as bad as I thought it was.

I realized in life that in order to move forward, sometimes you have to take a step back.

I spent three years in Scranton, Pa. pursing my bachelor’s degree and taking some time trying to find myself. The last thing I wanted was to finish college and <gasp> come home, so I continued waitressing and bartending so that I could try to avoid growing up. After a year, I realized I had to move on, and went straight to the big show. New York City.

When things didn’t work out there, I knew my only option was to come home. And although it devastated me at the time, now I realize it was the best thing I could ever have done.