With any change, it’s easy to be negative and focus on everything that you are losing or leaving behind.
As I packed each box and sorted through all of my stuff determining whether I should keep it or donate it for my move to New Jersey last Friday, I had similar thoughts.
I thought about the family dinners I wouldn’t be able to attend so easily. I thought about how I would no longer be just a short drive from my sister and niece. I thought about the extraordinary women I met on the train whom I have come to know and love, but wouldn’t be able to laugh with anymore. And I thought about my coworkers whose stories touched my heart each and every day that we worked together.
I was a ball of emotions. Excited most moments and full of optimism. Nervous others and filled with doubt. In my head, I was losing out a little.
Then it hit me.
Though I am leaving Delaware, I am not losing anything. I gained those experiences just by living in the First State. I met those extraordinary people because I moved there.
But on a more personal level, living in Delaware forced me to dream my biggest dream and work towards it when I realized my career wasn’t going anywhere.
In Delaware, I gained the courage to verbalize what I have always wanted, but was too afraid to say out loud.
It is where I took the challenge to figure out who I was and who I wanted to be.
It is where I found my voice to speak up and not be ashamed that I can be very opinionated at times.
It is where I felt the most inspired to try something new and out of my comfort zone.
For me, it was the beginning of something great and I am looking forward to seeing how it’s shaped me for my life in New Jersey.
