I Run Like A Girl

Hey pals! Things have been pretty quiet over here, and it will probably remain this way for some time. After spending the holidays in New York, Joe and I flew back to Texas and did lots of adulting to get our lives back together. I mentioned in my last post that we’re going through a transition period – my gap year travels are over so our focus right now is figuring out what’s next.

First up – settling into our new home. We figured it made sense to stay in Texas during this period for a number of reasons: we’re close to Joe’s family, we’ll save money, and we can enjoy Texas weather during the winter! In terms of our living situation – Joe’s childhood friend, Sam, and his high school sweetheart, Christina, have offered to stay with them for as long as we need. And so we parked our trailer on their land and settled into our new temporary home.

Living with Sam and Christina has been uplifting and I feel so incredibly blessed. They have a lot of land out in the countryside bordering Oklahoma – all this outdoor space is so relaxing and the perfect balance to the stressful task of job hunting.

And a major bonus – their dog, Mordecai. I love this energetic, affectionate, frisbee-loving corgi so much! He has added so much joy to living there.

Sam and Christina are amazing people: so easy-going, thoughtful, and supportive. In a short amount of time, I feel like they are family. Living together has felt easy, and the four of us have made quite an upbeat roommate pod. I usually spend the day doing something productive: job-hunting, working out, and getting outside. In the evenings, we all get together for dinner and Netflix. This routine has helped reintroduce structure in my life after a very structure-less year. I’m also trying to normalize rest by taking weekends off and trying not to feel guilty when I’m not being productive.

Currently obsessed with The Circle. Reality shows are my guilty pleasure – the four of us watch one episode each night, and we’re loving the drama.

My other current obsession: Stardew Valley. After Joe put this in my hands over the holidays, I haven’t been able to put it down! I’m ashamed to share how many hours I’ve spent growing my virtual farm…

Last but not least, I joined a meditation group in the DFW area. Sam and Christina found this group a couple months ago, and I decided to tag along with their weekly sessions. I’m loving it so far – the community reminds me of Kava Lounge in SF (aka my second home in SF), and people are so open and welcoming. Even though I don’t know how long we’ll be in Texas, I do feel it’s important to be part of a community. I remember when solo traveling last year, the friends I met, even just for a few days, made a huge impact on me. I’m excited to see where this goes. Christina and I even have plans to join one of their retreats at the end of the month. 🙂

Despite facing uncertainty, I wake up each day feeling grateful and content. Between Joe, our friends, and this space, I couldn’t imagine a better situation. I’m past the hump of feeling sad that my travels are over, and I’m embracing this chapter of my life, even if it is temporary.