Happy One-Year Anniversary, LA.

Somewhere along the years of my adult life, November has become by personal New Year’s. I’m not entirely sure why; for some reason that I cannot name, the shorter, darker, cooler days of new fall that begin around September always throw me off a bit. Call it what you will, but I seem to take this time to slow down a bit from life….reflect on my situation, and generally speaking, I make some sort of grand decision to change things around mid-November. A new job, quitting my job to travel the world, quitting my beloved job to try out LA, moving houses….it always seems to come around this time (November 24th, in particular, holds a few anniversaries for me), and I’m left closing a chapter of my life and feeling kind of out of sorts about it. While there is always a glimmer of excitement and hope for the new door that stands in front of me, it’s that moment where I turn around and look around the room I’m leaving: the photos, the trinkets, the memories…. and I take a big breath to let it all wash over me. That’s where I’m at right now.

I moved to LA one year ago. Aside from the time I quit my job and got rid of most of my stuff to travel for 6 ½ months, this is for sure the scariest and biggest undertaking I’ve ever done. It might even have been scarier than the travelling. This past year in LA has been this really intense journey for me. I’ve had to prove myself to a lot of people, in a lot of facets, and while I think I’ve done well, I’ve had to fight a lot of demons, explore sides of myself I didn’t really like very much and work really really hard to reinvent myself.

I don’t know if it was fate or some kind of message from my higher self, but on my exact one year anniversary of being in this huge wild city, I found a store while wandering aimlessly with two new friends called “Kiki and Kenna” that sells the most gorgeous handmade jewelry. It was sort of like a sign – that maybe I belong here after all and that I’ve done OK. So I bought a locket, something I could keep that would remind me of my time in LA, the serendipitous moment of finding a store named after my very unique name, and how things always seem to work themselves out.

And so, here we go again. Last year I moved to LA. I moved two a new country with a few key belongings, bought new stuff, established a new credit rating, started a new career, got a promotion, got married, made new friends, explored new areas, and here I am. As I write this, I sit amongst a few boxes of a few key things ready to move to Marina Del Rey (a new city, a new zip code), sign a new one-year lease and see where this crazy city takes me this year. And in a way, it’s almost scarier – last year I kind of knew what I was up for and what lay ahead; this year, it’s all a bit of a mystery. I can’t really imagine where I will be next November 24 – but that’s the fun of life.

So, here’s to that door handle and what lays ahead – I think I’m just about ready to open you.