Saturday, August 10, 2013

My Story Ever After

I have always had a good life. I grew up with two amazing, married, parents who supported me in anything and everything that I ever did. I didn't always have everything, but my parents did everything to meet my needs. I have two older sisters, as I was born late in life. 

Tracy is fifteen years older than me and essentially out of the house by the time I was old enough to form memories. I have always wondered what our relationship would be like had I been born a few years earlier. On the other side of things, she gave birth to my first niece, Jessica, when I was four. Those close to me know that she was my "mini me" well into my adult years. Tracy has since blessed me with another niece, Nicole, and nephew, Tyler. They live in Maryland, and I wish we could see each other more often. I have another sister, Melissa, who is eight years older that me. In my younger years, we were a world apart. Luckily, adulthood has bridged that gap. She and I own a house with my husband now, and it's pretty safe to say that we are best friends. 

School was also a happy place. I had the best childhood a girl could dream of. I always had an "easy time" with curriculum, making friends, and being excited about waking up in the morning. It wasn't until my junior year that I started battling depression. I didn't understand it because I knew how privileged that I was. I knew that my family had a history of depression but hadn't given it two thoughts. 

My twenties seemed to be about heartache. I am 25 now, and I am just now familiarizing myself with who I used to be. I've had my highs, I've had my lows, and every emotion in between. This is my place to let go and be brutally honest. This is the story of my complete life. Not just the "happy" ever after.