I've always excelled and enjoyed being beyond my comfort zone. It's exhilarating to stretch yourself and push your limits, and I've tried to always do that just a little, enough to keep life exciting. But lately I may have over done it. Let's take a look at the past 6 months...
- December 2015 - I put in my notice for retirement with my Company I'd been working with for 18 years
- January 2016 - I packed my car and a moving truck with all of my possessions, including my pets, said goodbye to my family, friends and RVA, a city that I truly love and have lived in for 23 years, and moved to Charleston, SC where I had only visited a hand full of times
- I started my own company - did I mention I was in a new town where I knew no one? Yeah.
- I began speaking engagements at conferences - I am painfully shy in front of a crowd and out of practice at public speaking
- I joined several business networking groups to sell my services - see above. Closet introvert that I am, this one really hurt
- I took a part time job, selling cars, yep, introvert selling used cars, awesome
- I'm under contract to write a children's book and just signed a publishing deal with Pegasus Publishing for my first novel - okay this part is pretty cool!
- I had to do a make-over to fit in with this hip, but southern town - I've had the same personal style for, well, ever, but it became obvious really quickly that it wasn't going to work here partly due to the heat and humidy but also to the southern-ness and conservative nature of the area, so I had to buy some lighter weight and lighter colors, I even added some patterns, ee gads!
- I joined a gym and got a personal trainer - I think this is what has kept me going and helped me manage the catastrophic change, but it takes time as well
- Dating? Yep, I've been trying that too. The men here are pretty awesome but there are 5 women to every man so it isn't easy
So, as you can see, I may have pushed myself over the edge just a bit with all of this change. At first I was running on adrenaline and just going with the flow so it felt okay. But lately it is hitting me like a ton of bricks. Too............much...........change........too.........fast! It's hard to breathe, difficult to relax but all I want to do is sleep, I have a sudden urge to crawl under a rug and stay there until I'm safely back in RVA with my friends and family and familiar places (Belle Isle is calling my name lately as well) doing a job I have done forever and know inside out. Then I wake up and realize I'm here and this is what I'm dealing with, and I just have to push through it until this change is my new normal.
Every night before I go to bed I walk my dog and say to myself and the moon, "I'm going to be okay. I can do this. Things will get better soon. " And every morning when I wake up I try and face the day with a positive, can-do attitude. I keep reminding myself that I asked for this, I made this happen. There had to be a reason, right? Six months from now I am hoping I'll look back on this time and smile and say it was all worthwhile. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile to save me some time and money, I signed up with Blue Apron, a menu and food delivery service. It's pretty cool - you choose your meals and they send you everything you need to make it yourself including the recipe, seasonings, etc. Keeps me out of the grocery store (where I spend way too much time and money) and forces me to eat proper, healthy meals. I'll share some of the recipes with you soon, but feel free to visit their website and check it out for yourself...
http://blueapron.com
Until next time, "I see the moon, the moon sees me. The moon sees someone I'd love to see. So God bless the moon and God bless me and God bless the ones I long to see."
