Change

Change. When I think about the word change, I sometimes feel a tightening in my chest and goose bumps forming across my body. Change has never been one of my favorite words and yet for some people, change is ideal. With me, I have never been fully comfortable with change- in fact, the idea of change scares me and makes me anxious. Don’t get me wrong, I love exploring and trying new things, but I am also someone who loves routine and predictability.

As the seasons change here in Chicago, I find myself changing with them. Unfortunately some changes have been painful and hurtful, whereas others have been exciting and life changing. As I continue to grow I have begun to realize that I need change in my life. If nothing ever changed then I would never experience new things or learn lessons. Every experience good and bad has molded me into the person I am and I know my experiences will continue to reshape me.

As August quickly approaches, I am beginning to prepare for a big new change- moving. Living in the same apartment my whole time here in Chicago has been a safety-net. Discovering my apartment and building it into my home away from home has been a fun project and in some way a right of passage into adulthood. Now having to begin my search for a new apartment, I find myself beginning to fret. Where do I want to live? Will I find a place I can afford? What if I can’t find the perfect one? Even now as I write these questions, I feel my heart starting to race.

Thankfully I am not taking on this new change alone. Instead, I am taking on this new change with my best friend Katlin. Like me, she too enjoys routine and is apprehensive of change- but together we make an amazing team. We are always there for each other for everything and I could not think of a better person for me to have at my side as I start a new chapter of my life here in Chicago. I need to seize this opportunity and take in every moment. I am so lucky in so many ways to have this opportunity to live with a best friend in the city I love.

It is time for me to shed my skin and be forced to adapt to a new environment, where ever that may be. Changes are always going to be happening in my life and all I can do is make the most of them. Life is too short to stay in your comfort zone. Having things change is a part of life and moving is only one change for now with many more to come.

“If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.” Gail Sheehy