Hello, August.

Sometimes, even when you've been headed on the right track for a long time, you need one final push to get you to where you need to be. For me, that push was a somewhat terrifying experience, but fear is the best motivator; fear opens your eyes to the truth.

And the truth can hurt, too. It can go against all that you've been insisting upon and surrounding yourself with for a year. It can scream for you to change everything.

So hello, August. This month will be for fresh beginnings, early mornings and regaining trust. For solitary walks on the beach, bike rides, and sketching. For film photography and dark chocolate and dinners with the best of friends. For complimenting strangers and filling notebooks with musings. For reading good books and discovering poetry and overdosing on music. For tennis and jogging and coffee dates with my grandma. For knowing that the most difficult path is also the most rewarding. For living without anything holding me back.

There are some things in life that, as breathtaking as they may be, can set your priorities out of whack. Things that halt your progress, freeze you in moments in time. You can stand there and enjoy the whimsical, warped, wonderful view, or you can break free and keep moving. I choose the latter, as difficult as it has been to walk away from something that has opened so many doors in my mind. I regret nothing that I have done, because all of it has taught me many invaluable lessons. But I've learned them, and it's time to move on.

I don't know where I'm headed, but the journey feels right. In a society that stands still, I consider myself lucky to be so open to change. I can't see my future, and I'm not particularly concerned with that fact. Nothing seems so important and magical as this moment in time.

I can't promise I'll be keeping up with this blog in the future; my time in this lovely corner of the Internet may have run its course. I enjoy it, but perhaps blogging isn't for me. At least not in this phase of life. I'm sure I'll be back with the occasional update, to share some artwork or some thoughts. But in the mean time, I hope everyone reading this has the courage to open their eyes to the truth and change their lives for the better. Because, really, nothing is worth sacrificing true happiness.