The end of September marks two milestones for me this year: 1) I turned 29 and have entered that 30th year (I guess I better make that 30 before 30 list then right?), and 2) this past weekend also marked 1 year since we left New York. I’ve been wanting to write an ode to that energetic city that I love so much since the day I left and yet 367 something days later and I’m still struggling to find the right words. I promise I won’t get too mushy on you but I will say New York was a dream come true for me–a dream that I thought was ending with our move back to California and yet as cheesy as it sounds I now understand New York was just opening that door. I received numerous emails when I first moved back and honestly I was so overwhelmed at the time that I’m sorry if I missed yours. I’m hitting publish today in hopes of making up for it and basically, in a nutshell, if you find yourself itching to experience the opposite coast, and a new career path or venture as well, be open to it and make it happen because since graduating as a confused pre-med student I’ve been fortunate enough to take some seemingly scary steps that led me down a very different / very exciting ride and I know the best is yet to come.
A couple of girlfriends encouraged me to read Goodbye to All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving New York when we first moved back as they knew the move was hard on me, and I finally got around to reading it this weekend. Sure enough, it’s an emotional one but also comforting to hear similar struggles. I miss New York everyday and yet this past visit made me realize how happy I am, and thankfully for my husband’s sake, meant to be back in California. Manhattan is undoubtedly a hard place to live and yet I will always feel at home there as it was the city I truly discovered myself in.
