It's crazy to think about how different my life was this time a year ago. This past year has been one of the first times in my life that I made decisions because I wanted to, not because they were in response to difficult events outside of my control.
I pulled the trigger and finally moved to New Orleans, something that was always a goal of mine. I am so lucky that I have a mom that wanted to help me make my dream a reality. She helped me pack up, drive and move into my new place. I'm so lucky to have friends who have helped me in my apartment hunt, learning my new city, and included me in their plans. It has been one of the hardest but happiest decisions I have ever made. This gave me space to expand my home, try new things, and reconnect with my friends from college in new ways. I bought a car, I got promoted at work, and was able to decorate a house that I have made a home. All things that two years ago would have never been possible. Hey, I even got my nose re-pierced!
Last year was a time to start realizing my boundaries and begin setting them, and this past year was a time I had to start reinforcing them which I have found to be harder at times than recognizing that there needs to be a boundary in the first place.
With a lot of change, comes a lot of anxiety. Moving across the country and moving away from most familiar things has been a lot on my mental health if we're being honest. It's allowed me space to work through a lot of the baggage I was carrying from before which was very needed. Putting in the work on yourself can be a really difficult task. Sitting with your feelings and thoughts and working through them is a lot for anyone to take on, but I think it has brought me to exactly where I need to be.
I think a huge thing that happened this year was finding peace. True peace. So much of my life, the last few years have been filled with a lot of hard times. Between coping with grief, and heartbreak, and doing what I thought I needed to do because everyone else was doing it didn't allow me the time to put in the work to grow and evolve. Having silence and peace in my life has been a little jolting but I'm learning that it's a good sign and that I need to enjoy it.
We were able to celebrate Dolly's Rescueversary! She has been a huge source of peace and happiness this last year and especially with our move. She has been a huge help in my healing and keeps me company during my work-from-home work days. She's really come into her own in our new space and is the happiest I think she's ever been. As hard as this move was on me, I do think it was a lot for her to take in. But over time she learned to trust the space and all the new people she has met and enjoys her days in her cat hammock and curled up on our couch. She has learned how to open doors recently... so we'll see what else she learns soon enough!
This year also came with a lot of blog milestones! I have really leaned into having an Amazon Storefront, grown my TikTok to over 19k followers & over 800k likes, and have had amazing partnership opportunities because of people like you! So thank you from the bottom of my heart whether you found me today or you started this journey with me almost five years ago! I am so ready for what 28 will bring.
No comments:
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.