War started in our house in late July with a month to go before my first day of college. It was a battle of wills over what college I was to attend. Mom wanted me to attend a famous ____1____ school, and I wanted to go to a small writing college. Every night for two weeks, we argued, shouted and gave ____2____ treatments until both sides went to bed with regrets.
It was mostly my ____3____. Since my junior year of high school, I had ____4____ at being a nurse. I took all the science courses, and even worked as a ____5____ in my town’s local hospital. My ____6____ was to help the sick and be superwoman to the world.
Yet, ____7____ graduation and college neared, it all changed. Treating the sick was ____8____, but not what I was meant to do for the ____9____ of my life. I could picture myself in hospitals, making rounds, and taking ____10____, but I couldn’t picture myself happy. It wasn’t the ____11____ I wanted.
Then, I realized I had been creating and writing stories for as long as I could ____12____. I loved it, and writing was what I had been doing as a ____13____. It was going to be my career. And it had to be.
On August 1st, Mom and I sat down at the dinner table and I told her that she had every ____14____ to choose where to spend her money, just like I had every right to decide where I wanted to go to school. If it was her choice not to ____15____ any of my college education, then I would take a year off to work and earn money so I could go to the college I wanted.
Standing by my decision to be a writer had ____16____ my firm belief to my mom. Finally we were at ____17____, and she decided to support me, which ____18____ the world to me.
Before that time, I had never stood up ____19____ my parents on any major decision. Choosing which college to attend ____20____ me to become a separate and complete adult. I am now finished with my first semester as a Professional Writing major and I cannot wait to see what comes next.