I was stuck in my hometown for 15 years of my life. It was honestly hard to meet new people as everyone was stuck in their cliques and too comfortable with their lives. My friends who all were doing really well moved hundreds of miles away, having great careers and even getting married. My hometown friends are great and all but we never do anything substantial while hanging out anymore.

I was in a very toxic relationship with someone. The relationship was bad because I was giving more than taking. On top of that, she ended up only seeing this as a casual dating thing, even when she gave me hope that it could lead into something big.

My job was a joke. I got paid enough to live comfortably but it was still not worth the 80+ hours I had to work every week. I was drained and tired, and doing the same repetitive work for almost 2 years. They gave management roles to young people who did not fit the role; understandably they all power tripped.

My family's wonderful but I already spent my whole life always putting aside my own tasks for them. At age 26 I finally needed more time alone to do what I really want (which is animation art).

I got sick of this life. It was going nowhere, and I stopped growing.

A fateful day happened. My ex texted me she wanted a break, but I ended up telling her to just end it altogether because there's really no point in dragging it. On that same day, I got a job offer and gave my two weeks notice, only to be told to leave immediately instead (with a very resentful boss). Two of my friends then give me a text saying they found a really nice place close to my new job. This was clearly a sign, so I just took a few essentials in my room, and left home. I never looked back.