New Beginnings

Psst! Did you know you can listen to this blog post? Check out my new podcast and hear the following content read by yours truly!

Next week is my last day at my current institution. April 23rd to be exact. Soon I’ll be starting a new job in a new city and I am terrified. I’m a creature of habit and I feel about change the same way I feel about brussel sprouts – they’re not my fave but I’ll deal with them if I have to.

Not only do I have to learn new systems and build new friendships, but I also have to move to a new town. I already know that I won’t sleep well my first few nights because my new place will sound, smell and look different. It won’t be home right away. I won’t remember which cabinet houses my mugs or where I placed my favorite headband. I’ll probably spend an unusual amount of time locating my forks or the one pot I own. I’ll have to find a new walking path for my pup and figure out the location of the “good” Target. I’ll need a new wifi password that I’ll write down on a random slip of paper and then never see again.

At work, I won’t know who I can make my awkward jokes around or who prefers a quick nod rather than a full conversation. I’ll likely need to ask a thousand questions and say the words “I don’t know” a lot. I’ll need to create a new filing system and alter my workflow. I’ll have to test out new lunch spots and find out which dish I’ll order every time I go there because once I find that one dish, why risk further experimentation?

I’ll need to find a new doctor, dentist and vet. A new pharmacy, too. I’ll need to use Google Maps constantly to find even the simplest of things, such as the nearest Trader Joe’s or my parents’ house.

But eventually, I’ll find my groove. I’ll make new friends and keep in touch with my current ones. I’ll find a cool new park with so many new smells, Rosie won’t know where to turn first. She’ll roll around in the new grass to really feel out the place (she’ll do the same to my new rug, which I’ll resent immediately). I will not only find the “good” Target but the best 5 in my vicinity (because let’s be real, every Target is just a bit different and all must be explored!). I might even get crazy and start sitting on the other side of the couch, letting it form to my buttocks just so.

New beginnings are scary but I have confidence in myself.