I love new beginnings. There is nothing that makes me feel more hopeful and excited than a fresh start. A new job, city, or stage in life helps me to challenge the patterns and routines I have settled into, and encourages me to be better.
The first time I really experienced this feeling was my freshman year of college. I was extremely fortunate to have grown up in same house as long as I could remember, to have been able to go through school with the same group of friends, and to feel truly rooted and stable. The flip side of that was that I had never had a true fresh start. Everyone I knew had seen me go through all my awkward stages (glasses, braces, bad haircuts, etc.) and associated me with certain interests and activities that I had taken part in my whole life. College was my very first time being new and getting to decide which version of myself I wanted to be. I embraced that opportunity with a surprising amount of gusto and dove straight into making new friends, finding new hobbies, and truly relishing the fact that all anyone knew about my past was what I told them. College turned me into a social butterfly and gave me a chance to try on who I wanted to be.
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When I moved to Nashville, it was similar. I only knew a couple of people when I relocated and wasted no time making connections, both personally and professionally. It was my fist time living in a “big” city (although it was a much smaller version of itself at that time) and I marveled at all it had to offer. Amazing food! Live music everywhere! Something new to do or see every day! I got a job in the field I had earned a degree in, met my husband, and began making meaningful friendships.
Photo by Dylan Freedom on Unsplash
Now I find myself at another new beginning. We moved to Oregon, and I am trying to embrace every little new thing. I know that the novelty will wear off eventually, and I won’t see everything with rose-colored glasses forever. However, I am bringing lessons from my past fresh starts with me, and I am really hoping that I can use this as another chance to refine and hone who I really want to be and how I want to live.
Featured Photo by Sean Martin on Unsplash
