I leave Chicago in 9 days.
Even though I am jumping out of my skin excited for my annual Finger Lakes trip/big Honda Adventure and all the opportunities my next several weeks will bring, I will miss the incredible energy and love this city has offered me these past months until I can come back. Chicago started out as; How fast can you get here to start work? (I assumed/intended on it to be temporary only)- and has turned into; How in the heck have I never lived here before?! I love this place and every last thing about it.
I’ve been a nomad for years, I’ve found and lived in some fabulous places, and had a lot of love for several of these spots. For whatever reason, Chicago has captivated me during this time, wholly- heart and soul, and I have simply never had this overwhelming feeling of overall goodness and clarity. As much as I believe we can all make a “home” anywhere, I think there is something to be said for a place you just feel like yourself, like you belong, like it just works. (I feel like I need a t-shirt that says “I found myself and my mojo in Chicago!”) Whether this feeling only lasts for a few months, a few years, or the rest of my life- I doesn’t matter. For a girl who’s searched, run, explored, and looked, the feeling I have now is one that is a first in almost 33 years and I am relishing in every second of it.
Here’s to plugging away, working, working, working and following what feels right even if it seems like it’s taking forever to find your little spot to nuzzle into in the world. Life really does get better with age.