Just like any other child, I was terrified of the dark. Therefore, every night my mischievous childhood self would sneak out of my room and climb into my parents’ bed. My mom would be fast asleep and my dad always stayed up late watching the History Channel or National Geographic. These were the old days when the History Channel had things other than “Ice Road Truckers” and together my dad and I would watch specials on everything from Julius Ceaser to the Deep Sea. Looking back that is what started my pure fascination with the world around me. I learned about transcending people and tiny creatures I never would have paid homage to. My dad and the experiences he’s given me have opened my eyes and I’m not the type of person who can ever shut them again.
My best friend and I tend to get into strange situations. One night, we decided it would be a fun idea to find the end of Woodruff Road, a main road in Greenville. We had no idea what would be on the other end or how many miles it would take, so we filled up my car with gas, turned left and just kept driving. It was an ebullient adventure, despite the fact that looking back on it: none of the things we witnessed were really that funny. When we got there it took us to an intersection in a town called Reidville. It was a 3 way stop next to a gas station and nothing like what we had hoped for.
We parked at an abandoned grocery store and wandered how we had even gotten there, or furthermore, why we wanted to start this adventure in the first place. We remarked on an earlier event of the evening and laughed until the sound dissipated and turned into a silence as we both stared at each other, waiting for the next moment. That was it though, we had done what we had set out to do and now we had to decide where to go.
Greenville, South Carolina, is one of those places where you’ve known everyone since preschool. The guy you like-liked in middle school would eventually become your goofball lab partner and the girl who shared her cookie in preschool would be your best friend for life. Now I’ve come to a point in my life where my decisions aren’t made for me. My little adventures can now be my life. The thing that excites me most about going into a college like Furman is an environment where I can go beyond the end of Woodruff Road. I don’t know what imaginary monsters made me afraid of the dark as a kid, but now nothing scares me. I’m grateful to be the woman filled with curiosity, because it’s that passion for the world around me that leads me to places most people have never been.