Today is the day!
It feels like I have been talking about this lifestyle switch for a while and it was finally time. Time to say goodbye to my first solo apartment, one where so many beautiful memories were made. Time to say goodbye to a city that had been my home for 2 wonderful years. And hardest of all, time to say goodbye to the people with whom I shared those beautiful memories and whom made Dallas truly feel like a home. Ultimately, it is time to choose myself and to treat my soul to the adventure it so desperately needs.
Leaving a stable, comfortable, situation in favor of an unknown adventure is not foreign to me. I have done it quite a bit in my short 25 years. I pursued a foreign language education through a study abroad program to Sevilla, Spain. I branched out of my comfort zone to spend a semester studying economics in Singapore. I spent my college summers interning in new cities, first in Pittsburgh and then in New York City. And most recently, I packed up my bags and moved from Atlanta, GA to Dallas, TX.
Let me tell you, the leaving never gets easier. The anxiety doesn’t disappear. You don’t magically get better at goodbyes. You can’t avoid the pit in your stomach making you question whether you are doing the right thing….speaking of which…am I doing the right thing?
(10 anxiety filled minutes later)
I’ve settled my mind and I’ve settled my heart. I have refocused. Leaving does not get easier. What does get easier though, is recognizing the amazing experiences that lie in front of you and being grateful for the opportunity to live out your dreams. Also, the realization that despite where you go, you will carry true love and true friendship with you – they don’t go away just because the proximity has changed. I have never regretted an adventure that I have been on. I have painted my life with so many colorful friendships and filled my book of life with so many crazy stories that would have never happened without a leap of faith.
I am ready to jump.
And so, as I frantically sorted the final items in my apartment between trash and storage, I felt good. Plus, I could return to Dallas anytime. Right? The only plan that I actually have is to drive up to Washington state and spend a month there. Of course, in my head, my plan extends to many more possibilities. A month here, a month there, a month everywhere.
Being one for theatrics, the last item in my apartment was a decorative sign that said “Adventure awaits”. With that mantra as my north star, I locked my apartment, turned the keys in, dropped a few final things at storage, and I was on my way.
Ready. Set. Adventure Time.