A Gail's Life in June 😎
Read to the end for another "I love you guys speech"
The end of my lease is approaching fast, and so is my trip to fly east to apartment hunt and hopefully land a job. The desire to line everything up perfectly by the end of the month leaves my skin itching with anxiety. But the good kind?
While big changes are terrifying, I love adventure and trying new things. I find observing my nervous system’s reaction to different environments thrilling.
I’ve heard people say there are signs when it’s time for you to move onto the next chapter in life, and I think that’s true. I’ve also learn that if I ignore those signs long enough, I end up absolutely miserable. So, these days if life just isn’t lifing how I need it to, it’s time for something else. This time just feels a bit odd, because instead of somewhere new, I’m returning to where I grew up.
Some signs that make me feel it’s time for me to move include not landing a full time in Chicago after a year of trying, my peers scattering across the country post-master’s program, getting serious FOMO whenever my Chicago-native friends say they’re hanging out with their families and developing an innate frustration that I can’t visit the mountains or beach whenever I want because I am no longer in North Carolina.
Don’t get me wrong, I have two jobs I feel I’m good at, built a new network of friends I absolutely adore and technically can visit my parents and North Carolina whenever I want. It’s just harder. I work so much now that I hardly have time to hang out with my friends, flights home are not cheap and traveling across the country takes up lots of time. So, despite my love of Chicago, I think there’s something better suited for me closer to home. At least for now.
If I told the senior year of high school version of myself I’d be heading home at the age of 24, especially after living somewhere like Chicago, I probably wouldn’t believe myself. Back then, I didn’t know where I was going, but North Eastern North Carolina was not one of my guesses.
But goals, social dynamics and priorities change, and though I’m moving closer to home, I don’t anticipate living life the way I did as a teen. Frankly, I couldn’t if I wanted to. That version of my life no longer exists. Because of that, this move honestly feels like just as much of an adventure as moving to Chicago did.
I have no idea what’s next for me, but I trust that if it includes movie nights with my sister, fishing days with my mom and grandma, dominoes with my grandad, mountain trips with my dad and visits to see friends, it’ll be okay.
Everything I own is falling apart 🧦
Doing a “No Buy” before moving is biting me in the arse
One of the lessons I learned from realizing I am an adult that can buy things is that purchasing items requires storing said items, and storage space is a finite resource. Especially, when living in a shoebox of an apartment knowing I will eventually need to pack everything up to move from apartment to apartment and city to city.
Because I am moving soon, the pressure of this realization is weighing on me even more, so I am having a “no buy” period, a set amount of time where I don’t purchase anything that is not absolutely necessary. My hope in doing this is to have as few items as possible when I ship all my belongings across the country.
I am struggling, though, because a lot of my stuff is currently falling apart, and desperately needs replacing. Two of my favorite work shirts have new holes in them, a button fell off one of my most-used cardigans, the quilt on my bed gets more rips in it every time I wash it and pieces of my yoga mat are break off each time I use it. These are only a few examples. Usually, I would just get new items, but being so close to moving time makes me want to wait.
So, for now I’m watching as my things disintegrate, scrolling through sites like ThredUp and Quince for ideas of what to get after I retire them. I think as a compromise, I may start ordering things to be delivered to my mom’s house, so I’ll have them once I move, but TBD.
Other lifestyle favorites 🍻
Food: Cooking with Guinness
On top of doing a “no buy,” I am also trying to get rid of extra items in my fridge and pantry. This includes five cans of Guinness I’ve had since St. Patrick’s Day. To work through them, I started trying recipes from the company’s website. The Guinness Glazed Samaki is the easiest one so far. I just reduce the beer with sugar and some spices, then paint it onto cooked fish filets or shrimp.
Travel: Dallas
I recently went to Dallas to visit one of my high school best friends who moved there last summer. Not only was the 90 degree weather glorious in contrast to Chicago’s stubborn 50 degrees, but we had the most perfect itinerary including a visit to The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, the Dallas Museum of Art and lots of cool restaurants including Earls Kitchen + Bar and The Biscuit Bar. It was incredible.
Health: Running
The running bug has hit me once again. If you weren’t aware, in high school I ran cross country for one season, picked it back up at the end of undergrad and stopped once I moved to Chicago two years ago. Running does not come easy to me, but I do think it is a great excuse to be outside and a great tool for managing anxiety. I fear the spring weather and running influencers are slowly getting to me. I’m avoiding the cost of buying running shoes, but the temptation is absolutely haunting me.
Clothes: Addicted to ThredUp
As previously mentioned, I’ve spent a lot of time on ThredUp lately. It’s honestly a lot like Pinterest, and I can’t stop using it. Though I only buy items every once in a while, I enjoy scrolling on it and favoriting new items. It feels so random, but when it comes time to actually get clothes that I need, I now have a really good idea of what styles I am interested in and want to try. Plus, it’s a mindless activity that doesn’t involve social media, and helps me wind down.
Before you go 💗
I’ve felt a lot of gratitude lately as I reflect on my time since leaving my hometown. Moving to new cities, a new state, starting therapy, developing my skills as a writer, finding hobbies like cooking and yoga. Navigating life as a young adult is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but after each struggle I come out closer to who I want to be.
One of my biggest accomplishments is learning to build and rebuild community as many times as I need. People always say as you get older, friends will enter and exit your life like a revolving door. It is unfortunately a true statement, and while that is still emotionally challenging for me, I am learning to embrace it, maintaining connections however I can.
Many of you reading this have been a part of that journey in one way or another, so I want to thank you for existing and being a part of my life. Whether it’s been years or a few days since I’ve seen you, know you are so important to me. And if you’re ever close by, please hit me up!
P.S. I feel like these blog posts are starting to read like diary entries. Do we like this?