Temptation. Everyone’s experienced it before in his or her life, whether or not we succumb to it. It can come in many different forms. Sometimes it’s a move to a different place. Maybe prospective flames or an old one. It can come in the form of the bite of another sweet or dangerous ways to fit in with new friends. No matter the form, consequences and risks always hang over your head – whether the choice turns out well or not.

I had just finished watching the last season of Desperate Housewives a few days ago, and something that happened in the last episode really stood out to me. One of the characters, Lynette, was making a toast at a wedding. She was talking about how sometimes a person forgets that they have the thing they need to be happy. People will go off looking for other things when they feel like they aren’t happy enough. But nothing ever works. She said the reason for this was because the hole in a person’s heart has already been filled; it’s just been forgotten.

Going to college in Colorado is going to be an extraordinary experience, and I’ll never regret it. However, I think in the beginning of this journey, I fell to temptation. The temptation of a brand-new start led me to Colorado. I wanted to get away from the people I knew who already had perceptions of me. I wanted to meet people who didn’t already know who I was – or thought they knew who I was anyways. I realized later on that I loved my life in California, despite everything. The hole in my heart was already filled by California. I just needed to come to Colorado to see that.

I think this happens with a lot of people. It’s not just with out-of-state people who are missing their hometown. I think the main place temptation breeds in are relationships, especially long-distance ones. It’s easy to forget how much someone loves you and to start looking in other places for something more new and exciting. But it’s important to remember that what you wanted in the first place was to be loved and that you are loved. It isn’t easy, but if a person could think that way, I think he or she would stop looking and realize that what makes them happy is right in front of them. That’s what I was able to do. It takes time, but you just can’t ever forget what makes you happy.