In my book, Meri’s driven to leave a stable, safe environment where she’s totally cared for to a world where her survival depends on her strength and wits, friends and at times, pure luck.

But her worries about her survival are dwarfed by her need to make sense of a world she can’t understand. She needs a purpose. A reason to live, a why her life matters and a path forward. That’s what drives her to leave.

She has steps to overcome. Like her mother’s expectations and all the strings attached to her care. And a wonderful boyfriend who wants to get serious, who presents a life she fears would swallow her whole, with no chance of self-discovery. To be true to herself, she has to experience life one-on-one without somebody in between. Here’s the world, here’s me. This is why I can survive in it. Learn about it firsthand – nothing dished up from someone else’s platter.

Then – the reward. Independence and the gift of first-hand knowledge and chosen interaction with the world. Something not inherited, but earned, A life she picks and supports because she owns it.