This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Allstate for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
My wedding anniversary is coming up next month and I can't help but think back to that day nearly 17 years ago when I said those magical words, "I Do" and created a new family for myself. I joked with my husband just the other day that the old saying about being able to choose your friends, but not your family just wasn't true. I chose him to be my family. I won't say that it hasn't been a bumpy ride at times, but it has been a good life so far. One filled with promise and one filled with love. And one that took me 12 hours from home, something I never thought I would ever consider.
I have always been a home body. I cried for a week when my sister left for college (I am not exaggerating) and cried the whole way to college myself (3 hours, I truly don't know how my parents could stand that looonnnng car ride.) I was not used to being away from home, let alone having the person who shared the same womb be in a completely different state living a completely different life than me. I felt like two umbilical cords had been cut --- one from my parents and the other from my twin.
I made friends. I found my way around the campus without too much difficulty (though I did sit half way through the wrong class before I struck up the nerve to sneak out...) I liked my taste of independence. But I left college and ended up living with my parents for a few years. I guess I wasn't much of a risk taker after all!
I married in 1996 and encouraged my husband to go to college to pursue his dreams. It took almost 5 years, but we perservered and he graduated in 2004. We had our second child 10 days later, and then moved 12 hours away from a month after that. It was a planned move -- one we knew we needed to do based on his degree and the ability to get a job in his field after his graduation. Moving offered us the best chance at a good life: a good job that would provide for our needs, even if that meant we would make our home in a zip code two states away with a new baby and no family to rely on. Still, it was a hard move for me. It was permanent. Final. This little town in Virginia is where I would set down roots, make new friends, and start building our new life.
Check out this quick video about celebrating the good in life and not focusing on the negatives. It's super cute and yet poignantly true.
Allstate Good Life, pretty much sums up life, in general, for me. The Good Life should be celebrated and I'm thankful that I didn't veto a move out of state, though I could have out of fear of uncertainty and wanting to be closer to my family. Bad or stressful things happen and we should not fear things and let them hold us back from making our lives good ones, ones full of excitement -- lives worth living.
Sound off! Please leave me a comment letting me know about a time when you threw caution to the wind and took a risk to live a good life! Did you make a tough move? Decide to return to college? Please leave a comment below to share because I want to celebrate your accomplishment with you.
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