Gratitude | Leaning-In to a Big Change
So this is it. These are my last few weeks in New York City. And so far, I'm feeling really good about the upcoming transition. While I do have this weird sense of panic that if I don't get out and do/see everything, I'll have missed out on the true New York experience, I'm taking everything one day at a time. Even more, I don't really know what I actually want to do in my last few days here. My ideas so far have been "visit Chinatown and eat dumplings" and "visit Chinatown and eat dumplings," so clearly I'm deeply invested in experiencing the magic of the city.
That being said, last weekend, Jeremiah, Cyd, Jake and I got out and "hiked" over the Georgie Washington Bridge + into Palisades Park. We ended up walking/hiking around for a good 4 hours, and by the end of it, all of us were exhausted, but also pretty satisfied that our Saturday was so productive. And having a weekend like that felt really, really good. So I'm pushing to have similar, productive weekends while I'm still here.
Anyway, May 22nd is the big day! We'll officially pack our furniture into the UHaul pod, grab our suitcases, and kiss New York City goodbye. In all honesty, it feels a bit surreal. I don't think I'll fully register that we're leaving until our things are packed + our rooms are empty. Even then, it might not truly register until I'm actually on the bus watching the city disappear. Either way, I've felt a huge shift in my emotional state of being recently + I've had new surges of gratitude for the journey to come. I'm moving to a new city with my best friend/the man I love; my Dad is opening his home to us for the first few months so that we can get on our feet; the weather will be beautiful; and for the first few weeks that I'm there, I won't have any serious obligations; what isn't there to be grateful for?
We actually won't arrive in Atlanta for 11 days; we're taking our sweet, sweet time. We'll stop first in Virginia to visit Jeremiah's two brothers and his mama, who will then join us on a mini road trip down to North Carolina to stay with his grandmama for a few days. And then we're off again to spend my birthday weekend (May 30th!) in Wilmington, NC. I've never been, but Jeremiah worked there for a bit, and the city still has his heart. The plan is to lay on the beach, walk along the river, and enjoy the change of pace. Simple and easy. On my actual birthday, we're going for a 12:00 AM swim; I want to spend my first moments of 24 floating on my back in the ocean, looking up at the early morning stars. The birthday swim idea is actually Jeremiah's; I didn't know how I wanted to bring in a new year and he suggested it. I'm endlessly grateful to have a partner who knows me so well.
And then, after that, we're headed back to Jeremiah's grandmama's for a bit before packing our bags and officially arriving in Atlanta! (Well, not really Atlanta. My Dad lives on the outskirts (45 minutes away), and so for the first few months, we'll be battling the traffic while we get on our feet.) And from there, I have no idea what to expect. I know that I'll be job searching. And I've already decided to take over my Dad's two raised garden beds + try my hand at organic farming. And I know that I want to dedicate my free time to my health (remember when I vowed to run a half marathon this year? It's still happening, I promise!) and working on this blog and generally indulging my creative side. But other than that, it's all up in the air. And thankfully that's starting to feel more exciting than scary!
Honestly, I feel like I'm in a really good place. I'm turning another year older and simultaneously starting on a new journey, and that feels exceptionally powerful. And, on top of all of that, I'm in love. I mean, if you follow me on Instagram, y'all definitely already know that by now. But this love motivates me and excites me and grounds me in a way I've never experienced before. I honestly want to dedicate an entire blog post to it, but I don't know that I can find words to do it justice. Anyway, there's this quote in Jazz by Toni Morrison that says, "I didn't fall in love, I rose in it." I didn't understand what that meant until now. It's truly exceptional.
So that's where I'm at! I'm going to try to blog a bit more consistently, but with so many transitions on the horizon (packing, road tripping, and relocating) I can't make any promises. That being said, I'm planning on taking a lot of photos + videos throughout our entire trip, so stay tuned! x
