Exploring Life’s Possibilities in 2023
Happy Very Belated New Year! As we are all now well into the groove of life post holiday-season, the procrastinator in me is sitting at my coffee table, sipping from a bottle of peach and turmeric sparkling tonic water, finally reflecting on the roller-coaster ride that was 2022. This past year, which now feels like a lifetime ago, was one of the most rewarding, yet most challenging years I have ever faced as a living breathing human being. It tested my patience, my spirit and alllll of my self-restraint to not just pack up my cat (smh, only two sentences in and she’s already part of this conversation) and jet off to some remote, unnamed island. The bad days often outnumbered the good and I begrudgingly faced the frustration and fatigue I felt of trying to balance it all. Despite these mini mental-brawling sessions, I can still form a long list of all the moments that made the hard days worth it- from completing my graduate studies, to exploring several new places, I always make sure to count each and every blessing that I’ve been gifted in this life. So here I am, digging deep to identify what it is that I truly want this year. It’s not something I’m able to understand or communicate just yet, but the hopeful and optimistic side of me knows that big things are in store in 2023. While I wait for these opportunities to present themselves, I’m very much looking forward to simply knowing myself again and getting the chance to embrace new aspects of life that I did not previously have the chance to explore.
Now that I’m officially an MBA grad (yay me!!), my first real priority this year is to simply bask in the glory of my hard earned success. I’m usually someone who always looks for the “next big thing”, so this published post will serve as a solid self-reminder to slow down and just live life. Recently, I made the really tough decision to leave my full-time job to focus on myself and my overall well-being. There are a number of factors that resulted in this and it was not something that I decided on a whim, but the choice was one I knew I had to make. This newly discovered free-time is my opportunity to now devote my energy to putting my individuality first by pursuing hobbies that I am most passionate about (#ERICACOOKS coming soon to a kitchen near you!!). I realize that I am extremely blessed to be able to take this time off of work and I will absolutely not take it for granted for even one moment. Eventually, I will get back to the office again- when exactly, I can’t say for sure- but I’ve always had good instincts when it comes to being financially responsible, so when it’s time, I’ll know. Plus, the rent around here doesn’t pay for itself and my cat absolutely refuses to contribute her share.
This year, I also vow to be more available and present for my family and friends. This is really important to me. I’ve sacrificed so many of my personal relationships, and even lost a few good ones, as I prioritized my career and my studies over the last few years. Luckily, I have an amazing support system that has been with me from the start. Now it’s time that I show up for them when they need me. As human beings, we’re wired for connection- it’s one of the most important elements of our existence and if we don’t nurture these relationships they’ll eventually dissolve into distant memories. So now that football season is just about over, I’d like to extend an olive branch and say that I’m willing to resume communications with anyone who isn’t a New York Giants fan. Unless the Eagles win the Super Bowl. Such a tragic event would definitely take some time to mentally recover from, just saying.
:)
So that’s the short and sweet of what I want for myself this year. I know I started this blog with the goal of sharing my travel stories with those close to me, but every now and then I feel compelled to share the deeper, rarely expressed, vulnerable side of me. I hope I achieved exactly that with this post. I know I can’t be the only one who has felt stuck in the routine of normal life- if you’re reading this and have felt the same, just know that I see you. You are heard. You are not alone and you have more power than you think to take back control of your life. For the first time in a very long time, I literally have no idea what is next for me, my career or my personal life… and I am honestly okay with it. I feel at some point in each of our lives we go through these phases where we need to get to know ourselves again. This is the start of that journey for me, and hopefully by the time it’s all said and done, I will have the clarity I’m seeking.. and who knows, maybe I’ll even learn how to bake a loaf of sourdough bread.
-E
