I don’t normally focus a post on my personal life but there has been a lot of change in my life and not to quote Eminem but, “If one kid out of a hundred million who are going through a struggle feels it and then relates that’s great.” By no means am I an expert at life…
For those who don’t know, I moved to Chicago almost two years ago from New York for a boy I had been dating long distance for 5 months. Now, call me crazy, but when you are 24 years old and you get butterflies in your stomach at the very sight of their name popping up on your phone, you know you’re in love. Or lust. In my case, love. People told me I should wait longer but the heart wants what the heart wants so he came and scooped me up from my tiny East Village apartment and drove me halfway across the country to his beautiful bachelor pad which I quickly turned into a home.
I arrived in Chicago knowing two people. My man, and my friend Lindsey (who I had met years prior at Lollapalooza). I applied for a job at Trunk Club and instead took on a lifestyle. I say lifestyle because working at Trunk Club is much more than a job. I found a big sister (my boss), best friends (my team mates) and a purpose (my clients). I was able to start a life for myself in a new place.
This past summer, as Mercury moved into retrograde, my life turned a bit upside down. I moved out of my newly ex boyfriends place and into my own sublet. I hadn’t lived on my own since I studied abroad in Paris and I was terrified. And then something incredible happened. I rediscovered myself. I started to go out. I made new friends and had time to get close to the ones I had already made. I saw Chicago from a completely different angle as well. I went on boats, I watched fire works. I went to street fests and exhibits and explored new areas. I even explored dating for the first time in 2 years. I became truly independent.
And then as the summer dwindled and the leaves started turning colors something else happened. The novelty of it all began to wear off and reality settled in. I was now single living in a city by myself. One of my closest friends who had been my partner in crime here moved away. I began to panic and started having what one might call a quarter life crisis. Trunk Club had been acquired by Nordstrom and while I was so thrilled that I had been able to see it all happen, I no longer felt as connected. My freak out only lasted about a week but it was VERY real.
The Jewish New Year came around and chose to stay and work instead of going home to New York to be with my family. I hated myself for it. I sat down and thought really hard about what’s most important to me and I realized it was truly time to close a chapter in my life. Last week I quit my job at Trunk Club because I knew in my heart that I had grown as much as I could there. Sometimes in life you need to learn when it is time to leave. Don’t be afraid to take a chance. And the best part of closing one chapter is the opportunity to start a new one. SO. What is next for me? I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned to find out.
Happy Monday!
xx
A
