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"I&amp;#x27;ve written and rewritten this first line so many times that I&amp;#x27;m just going type it the easiest way I can: This is my goodbye post for Glamour.com. I&amp;#x27;ve spent three amazing years here writing in literally every vertical of the site, but I wanted to say farewell in The Conversation: the one that is most special to me and where I&amp;#x27;ve learned the most. When we launched The Conversation a little more than a year ago, I had no idea where it would take me. I spoke to incredible authors like Kim Ghattas, followed Marissa Mayer&amp;#x27;s wow-worthy story, and reported on the roller coaster of VAWA. But riding out Election 2012 through President Obama&amp;#x27;s victory&amp;amp;#8212;yes, even through the WTF moments of Akin- and Mourdock-gate&amp;amp;#8212;was where I got to know you most. Watching women hit milestones in the Senate and the House was historic, and to do it alongside people who are as passionate about their importance as I am is, well, exactly what I hoped this lil&amp;#x27; blog would become all along. The Conversation also took me down to D.C. in January for President Obama&amp;#x27;s second inauguration, where I interviewed Maya Soetoro-Ng, President Obama&amp;#x27;s sister, and met Senators, Congresswomen, and some of the most dynamic women I&amp;#x27;ve ever encountered (thank you for helping me pick my Inaugural Ball dress). I look at my media credential from that weekend every day&amp;amp;#8212;it&amp;#x27;s hanging on my mirror&amp;amp;#8212;and think about what a beyond-words experience it all was and how the whole time, I was bursting with moments I wanted to share with you. Beyond all the big stuff&amp;amp;#8212;the politics, the news&amp;amp;#8212;I&amp;#x27;ve left a lot of my personal life on Glamour too, and here&amp;#x27;s where I start getting teary-eyed. (I knew it was coming!) Over on Smitten I talked candidly about a period in my life that I still think about every day. You ladies helped me through a messy, horrible breakup, then trying out new love, and then...not so much again. I learned more about myself through being real with all of you than at any other point in my romantic life, and I can&amp;#x27;t say thank you enough. You&amp;#x27;re sisters and you&amp;#x27;re friends. So, hey, about those lessons. Ten of them, in no particular order... Get dressed on your sick days. Feeling like a human always helps. Don&amp;#x27;t let anyone intimidate you, especially in a relationship. You&amp;#x27;re the one who decides if you&amp;#x27;re intimidated, and if you&amp;#x27;re ever in a position where you feel like less than yourself, you&amp;#x27;re not with the right person. It&amp;#x27;s really OK to cry. Really. Just, um, stop crying at some point, and don&amp;#x27;t be too proud to seek help if you can&amp;#x27;t. Guilt is a really unwieldy emotion that can control a lot of things. It can lead you to make a lot of bad decisions (though some necessary ones too). Find a mentor. Be a mentor. If you don&amp;#x27;t consider yourself a passionate person, you haven&amp;#x27;t yet found a point of passion. As an interviewer, don&amp;#x27;t fear important conversations on the phone. As a woman, don&amp;#x27;t fear important conversations face to face. Always be an advocate for yourself in your work life, your home life, your love life, and your beliefs. Shut up and laugh, even on the days you swear you don&amp;#x27;t have it in you. To grow, step into shoes bigger than the ones that fit. (Figuratively. Don&amp;#x27;t do it with heels, because you&amp;#x27;ll fall over, and goodness is that going to hurt.) If you want to keep up with me and find out what&amp;#x27;s in store next, sweet gals, follow me on Twitter at @meredithturits. Photo: Jenna Andrews"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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