Sometimes You Have To Give Up What You Love Most

On 27 March of this year, change came into my life once more. It may seem like it wasn't a change for the better, but some 93 days later I would have to say that yes, it was for the best. My position was eliminated at Georgia-Pacific and I like the others out there, became a statistic, a number in a system that tells one of failure. But, I have been through this before 12 years prior and the lessons learned from that experience has gotten me to this point.

Tomorrow I will reach a crossroads, the veritable fork in the road. I can let it consume me or I can consume it and move on with the next phase of my life.

I have lived in Atlanta since April 1987 and seen many changes in the city and it's people. Almost four years ago I made the plunge, moving downtown because I was sick and tired of the suburbs sucking my quality of life away. The move has been no less than a renaissance, a rejuvenation of my soul, food if you will. I said "this is it", making the Luckie-Marietta district my home for the duration.

My living here has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. The lifestyle is one I have been seeking since my youth. What I finally understood from the photo slides of my early years was that mom and dad exposed us to all that was good in the city of Charleston, with the good being the Battery, Hampton Park and Colonial Lake. It was these moments I held and still hold dear, making Centennial Olympic Park a new focal point of my rebirth.

Now the time has come where I may have to give this up, to a certain extent. If all goes well tomorrow, I will have to make a decision that could affect me for the next several decades. It is one I don't take lightly, but will if the opportunity presents itself.

The time has come for me to leave Atlanta and specifically where I have laid roots. But I also realize that in order to grow, new roots have to be laid elsewhere. For the past 93 days I have undergone a reinvention. Now is the time to take what I have learned about myself and put them to practice.

I love where I live, but it's time to grow.