My old neighborhood in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY.
It’s still taking me some time to get adjusted to Los Angeles. Is it the overtly warm weather or rather, lack thereof? The shitty public transportation system everyone in California tells me not to take (which is seamlessly sewn into New York culture) or the fact that there’s literally only one bookstore left in all of Downtown, Los Angeles?
Leaving home for good is never easy, and as a person who’s endured their whole life living on the East Coast, moving to the West, where energetically, the way of life and culture is inherently different, by default, a New York/ Jersey girl can’t help but to feel like a real LA transplant at times. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I guess it takes most people some time to get adjusted to living in a new place (especially when they’ve only lived in one area for the majority of their entire lives) but overall, I really didn't think it would take me this long to get settled, which is something I’ve been feeling quite uncomfortable about for the past few months I’ve been here.
Considering the fact that I hadn’t officially moved to LA three months ago (even though I was practically living here) I recently came back to my hometown to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my things (God only knows that as a woman, we never ever pack lightly) but now that that’s squared away and I’m back in the sunny yet “overcasty” state of Cali once again, I’m of course fluttered with a wide range of cross country move emotions. Like for starters, the fact that I left my whole family behind, or that I can no longer visit some of my favorite coffee shops I used to love, or even, the subliminal energy of what it’s like to be an East Coaster- Literally, all of the emotions a person can feel, are whirling in as I’m still learning how to say goodbye to my old life.
Much like a breakup, I feel like I’ve been in this months-long grieving process of missing New York. And though I can firmly say that I don’t regret my decision to move to LA, sometimes, I do every now and then feel like breaking the theoretical “no-contact rule” by moving back (even if it’s just a thought that i have no intention of making reality). But then, after some deep contemplation on a sunny Saturday morning, while sitting on my back porch overlooking LA’s beautiful palm trees, I got to thinking about the notorious phrase,“ Rome wasn’t built in a day.” A term used to reference that, all in all, good things take time. Especially the things that are worth waiting for.
Yes, it’s true that sometimes I miss taking the A train to Central Park or the delicious Bacon, Egg, and Cheese scent that would permeate through my old Brooklyn brownstone window, but it’s also true that I’m loving this new West Coast life in so many ways. I’m more chill, more go-with-the-flow, and more at peace than I’ve ever been in my adult life. I’m starting to really value the simple things and starting to really appreciate nature even more than I did before. LA, of course, has its moments, I mean, let’s be real no place is perfect, but I do feel like it’s exactly where I need to be, and for that, I’m grateful, even if my time here is measured in one year, two years or maybe even five.
And though life is fairly different from the way it used to be for me, starting from scratch is hard, especially when you’re creating a new foundation for yourself that’s completely opposite of something you’ve always known. But as I continue to embark on this journey of saying bye and in turn, letting go, I’m truly not sure if it becomes any easier, but I can tell you that navigating it all does make you stronger- Even if it feels pretty damn uncomfortable.
Wishing everyone that’s embarking on a new chapter the utmost peace, prosperity, and ease. You’ve got this!
-Gabby
Picking up and trying something new takes courage and confidence. It’s an exercise in self belief. Just give time time.