It's ok to turn the smile upside down, too

Over the past two years I've come to realize that Drake isn't a magical utopia completely free of drama, frustration, and stress. I'm currently shopping for islands with hopes of creating such a world.

Drake isn't perfect. There are days you just DON'T WANT TO BE HERE.

This just in - THAT'S MORE THAN OK.

What? You think it's flowers and rainbows all the time? Hardly. Drake isn't like that because life isn't like that. It's true that when you go to college, particularly out of state, you get a clean slate and can pretty much reinvent yourself if you so choose. But you're still surrounded by people who will quickly fill the roles of the good guys and the bad guys that you left behind in high school. Old worries leave, new ones reappear. One class ends, but another begins. Some responsibilities are abandoned, others are bestowed upon you... it never ends. It's really just a cycle.

And it's a good thing, really.

But don't think you always have to be happy about it. Stuff happens and you're allowed to be mad or sad or down right pissed off. It's good to feel that way. It's a fallacy to think you can run away to college and leave problems behind you because the fact of the matter is that new ones are waiting for you here.

There are new challenges to be met and overcome and while you definitely have to do your best to solve your own problems and be your own handyman (in that you have to fix whatever is broken in your life), it's ok to just freak about it sometimes. Heck, I think it helps to spend a little while freaking out because then I can get it out of my system and then focus on what exactly I need to do.

There's help if you need it, but you kind of have to keep in mind that YOU are your own first line of defense.