Time is making fools of us again.

Here I am, ill again, and in my final week of living at home. It seems almost ironic that I'm sitting here in bed, my mother bringing me chicken noodle soup, when I'm supposedly embarking on the first stretch of my independence. Funny, how I've spent most of my life thinking that I didn't need my parents, and just as I finally have the opportunity to prove it, I realize how much I do need them. I need them very much.

I can't let this turn of events sway me, though; no matter how much I would rather curl up in bed and have my mother tuck me in every night. I believe that reality checks come into play at the most opportune moments, and all this is is a reminder that I'm always going to need my family. Maybe I can take care of myself now, and maybe I'm mature and smart enough to start out on my own. But that doesn't mean I'm all grown up just yet.

Besides, I'm never going to be ready for the real world by sitting around and waiting. It doesn't work that way.

So, hey there, world.

Ready or not, here I come.