baby, i got a late start

My life didn't start until I turned 18.

This is a recurring theme in the memoir that I hope to get published one day. If you want to know why, you'll have to wait until it's out- or publish it.

One of my favorite songs is "Late Start" by Carol Ades. It's because I've always felt that way, that I "think (I'm) a late start, but (hopefully) baby the best part's, only around the corner."

I write this on my notes app, walking the streets of Chicago as the biggest, fattest flurries of snow drift onto my phone screen. My best thinking happens during walks, when the weather is devastating. But I romanticize it--because what else is there to do?

So I listen to "Late Start" and think about how I had one. A late start.

I didn't expect to fall behind in life. I started taking college courses when I was sixteen, and I felt like a star. I was going to get it all done early with my quick mind, wasn't I? My elementary school teachers had agreed that I should skip second grade entirely. I taught myself how to read at four years old, or so I am told. And then my life changed.

When I turned 18, my five-year plan flew out the window. Walking the stage became a far-off, impossible dream. I jumped into 40+ hour work weeks and suffered through one grueling semester: a full time school load, long shifts, nothing but stress on my mind.

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So then I had to accept that I was going to be late. I enrolled in two classes a semester for my healthy middle. And dear reader, by the time I had finished, I had been taking college classes for eight years. The time it takes to get an M.D.

I couldn't leave full time work, which was a challenge. I left two universities after finding that I could not complete my degree without taking day classes. I swore to make the third one the last, and so I stuck with National Louis University, which offered many remote class options.

But can I let you in on a little secret? When I first started NLU, I was told that I wouldn't graduate until April 2026. Today is February 8th, 2026, and I currently hold a degree in Communications and Media.

I cried when I found out that I had done it early and was graduating almost a year ahead of schedule. I cried after walking that stage with stabbing pain from my heels but hope in my heart. I cried every time I told another friend that I had finally done it.

It had taken me eight years. I was behind everyone I had gone to school with and I was older than my graduating class. But all that time had made reaching my goals even sweeter to taste.

I didn't experience real life until I reached eighteen. I got a late start to post-grad experiences and going outside and forming real relationships. But I think that's okay, because it shaped the person that I am today.

Hard-working. Passionate. Driven. Creative. I wouldn't want to have had it easy. I paved my own path.

And "baby, the best part's only around the corner".