Most of my life has been in Wisconsin, and now it is hard to imagine living anywhere other than my home for the past 13 years. Although I was born and raised in Wisconsin for the majority of my life, my first memories were at my house in Virginia. This is where my story starts.

I remember being in my crib trying to sleep late at night. I remember getting my finger slammed in the door by my sister. I remember the pool right by our house that we would frequent: birthday parties, celebrations, and anything in between. I remember the friends I made in preschool and my best friend Jack. I remember our empty house when it was time to go…

My dad had adjudicated about our future; we would be leaving. Three years we had spent in Virginia making friends and building a life together, and never did I think we would pack everything up in a day’s notice. I would miss the friends I made and the neighbors we had gotten to know so well. I incurred change during our dramatically daunting switch from life in Virginia to life back in Wisconsin. For my parents and older sister, we were moving back home, but I had no recollection of living in Wisconsin. This was a completely new experience for me, it felt like I was in a foreign country. I was leaving my friends and the comfort of the only home I knew. The thought of going to a new school towered over me. I was not clairvoyant to what would come of this.

We arrived and settled into our new home in Hartland during the summer before my kindergarten year. It was a fresh start for me as I didn’t know anyone in the neighborhood or my new school. We were greeted by friendly neighbors who brought a housewarming gift. They had a son my age, Owen, whom I became friends with quickly. A son my age who, unbeknownst to me, would be my friend down the street for the next 13 years.

Change scares many people including myself. However, over time I have learned to embrace change. Moving to a whole new place had beguiled me. I thought this shift would be only negative. However, this experience was necessary for me to learn this lesson: It is often difficult and scary, but life is full of changes. The sooner I could embrace its unavoidability, the sooner I could adapt to it.