When we’re kids, our parents always try to protect us from the evil in the world. They do so subtly. They tell us to come in the house before the street lights come on, or even make the rule not to talk to strangers.

However, no matter how much our parents try to protect us, there are some things that they just can’t protect us from. They’re not always going to be around. That may be the hardest pill to swallow for them.

As we grow up, we get more curious as to what life has to offer and we start to venture out on our own to get answers. We get a little bit of freedom and go crazy.

We become adventurous young adults, trying to find our place in the world. How we do that differs for everyone.

Some of us find the love of our lives fast, get married and start families, go to college, live the “party every weekend” lifestyle and some enlist in the military. There is a lot of in between and grey areas, but you get the point.

For some, finding the place where we want to start is tough and life has a way of throwing unbelievable curveballs, no matter how strong it thinks it’s making you.

My story? All I ever dreamed about was going to college, being in a sorority and living in a dorm. Finding my place in life to me meant career, marriage and a family of my own.

I’ve always wanted the life you see in the movies, with my own twist. However, life curveballs are a thing, and my life hasn’t quite worked out that way. But I still have time, I’m just really impatient.

I rush into and through everything.

My mom was really good at protecting me from the evil in the world, she was even really good at protecting me from myself.

However, the things she couldn’t protect me from are the things that have changed who I am as a person, woman, and mother, and how I view the world.

We as humans have this instinct, what I like to call our “bullshit detector.” It’s like the moment we hear or see something sketchy, our bullshit detector goes off.

This happens a lot with presidential elections, potential love interests, friends, among other things. We just hear something and our first thought is “that’s bull.”

What I’m getting at is, it’s up to us to make our own reality. We build our truth based on our beliefs surrounded by what we’ve encountered and been taught.

I wasn’t raised in a religious home, but as a young adult I ventured through religion and created my beliefs based on everything I learned. I grew up in a home where sports were always involved, so naturally, I became an athlete.

My dad wasn’t present for the majority of my life and he dips in and out these days. My parents have different truths of why they are no longer together. Neither believes that I remember all the bad from my childhood, so I know the truth even if they don’t want to tell me.

Sometimes we want to believe in people, but that can leave us in a situation that we can’t be protected from. People tend to suck, blood-related or not.

On the bright side, you get to choose your reality. You get to build relationships with who you want to have relationships with, and you can cut out anyone who is toxic in your life.

Know your truth.