One small flight, one giant change in mindset, and I’m here. It’s taken two weeks for me to collect my thoughts. Moving has been a lot tougher than I had prepared myself for. It broke friendships, caused more stress, and created a hollowness inside. Moving far away -even just two time zones away-created a disconnect from who I was to who I’m now becoming. Imagine a painting, then immediately, over all the colors, it’s painted white-that’s how it feels.

It’s a blank canvas. What I had previously known and experienced feels 100 light years away.  I have endless ways to reinvent the way I’ve been thinking for my entire life. I have time to figure out the things I like and don’t and truly make decisions without anyone else. But there’s a catch… and it’s aimlessness. Most people here are okay with that feeling of “going with the flow” and “letting things happen.” The lack of structure and plan is their blessing. Unfortunately not everyone is gifted to think like that. Some of us need to re-image our brain to be able change our perspectives.

It’s funny how the quality of life here is so much more freeing than anything I’ve experienced. There’s no fear. There are times of loneliness, doubt, and even sadness, but no fear. I’m learning things that I wouldn’t have tried to attempt before. Meeting people here is so refreshing and the thought process is so diverse that there’s literally no judgement. It’s a place where I’m allowed to be my own person; where forgetting the past is an opportunity to fill the empty spaces with personal drive, new experiences, and knowledge. I know that things might not be perfect right now, but if I want to stay busy, if I have an open mind, if I just get up and go somewhere, the resources are right in front of me.

It may have only been a short amount of time, but I’m not the same person I was 3000 miles ago.