Well, it’s finally here. I am finally a year into being an adult. Notice how I didn’t put the words ‘full grown’ because I still feel like a baby in most aspects of adult life.

To say I was shocked this past year about how hard it is to maintain an adult life is an understatement. All of a sudden I had to worry about bills, not spending too much money with this newfound freedom I have, and maintaining relationships and forging new relationships.

Most of this year was dedicated to getting used to my life as an adult and not a college student still living under Mom and Dad’s roof. I’ve got to say it was hard. Very hard. One of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my whole life.

You learn very quickly how things aren’t always going to go the way you planned it, whether it be a day at work, plans falling through, or a day of chores. Sometimes you get up too late, don’t have enough energy to get out of bed, let alone do laundry, and sometimes family emergencies come up.

The fact that I moved three, almost four, hours away from my family didn’t really help getting situated into my adult life. Not only was I getting used to adulthood, I was doing it while getting settled into a new town. Sometimes I was filled with such loneliness and sadness that I’d lay in bed for hours thinking of everything at once and crying about how sad I felt. It was scary.

Then I realized not many people would be able to get up and leave everything they’ve known behind at my age and start a new life somewhere else. It’s kind of an amazing feat and I’m glad I did it. I’ve been making big decisions like that all my life, from working on Mackinac Island for three years by myself, to gathering my courage to ask for something that may not even happen.

I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of pride with how far I’ve come last year and right now. It was a tough year last year with all the things that happened, but I managed to get through it. I’m stronger than I was last year at this time and I see it all over the place.

I’ve got this invincible feeling this year that I didn’t have last year. I feel if I could survive last year without going completely crazy, then I could survive anything. Last year was a true test of strength, and somehow I passed.

Sometimes I think back to the people I went to high school with. Would they be surprised at how far I’ve come? How about my teachers? Would they see how far I’ve come and be proud? It’ll be seven years since I’ve graduated this summer and I’ve experienced so much in just that short amount of time.

This year, I can focus on improving all aspects of my life now that I’ve settled down and gotten used to the surrounding area. I can work on books, write more articles, and make more friends. I’m so excited to see what this year holds.

Alyssa Ochss is the page designer at The Alpena News. She graduated from Oakland University and loves pop culture and all things nerd. You can reach her at aochss@thealpenanews.com.