This year has been a different sort of adventure for me. It wasn’t filled with mountains or nature and it certainly wasn’t always fun, but I learned a lot about myself in a different form of survival.

Adjusting to New York was really difficult at first, but I found that the hardest part was not having a space to call my own. Subletting because I ‘wasn’t sure I wanted to stay’ made it actually so much harder to stay and make the city my own. It took me more than half way through the year to realize this and although I would never say I’m from New York, I can call this a home.

One of the biggest reasons I moved here was to take advantage of how easy it was to get out of this city and it wasn’t until Halloween that I started to really take advantage of it. I’m next to one of the biggest hubs in the US but it’s so easy to get stuck in here. You become a drone to the daily commute around the city and the stress of being around so many people constantly that time to yourself is rare and time to relax is even more so.

I think after a year here, I’m starting to finally feel settled. I don’t plan to stay in the city past my lease which puts me here for at least another 8 months, but I’m so glad to have experienced this city. I spent my whole childhood stuck in paradise in a single big, safe house with a full family, an education, and incredibly caring parents. I literally couldn’t have asked for more and I hope to someday give my children the same thing, but I know thats also what has made me so wild. I was pent up with dreams and so far from any grime in the world that my XP was low and theoretical but I’m making up for it in strides.

New York is now the 4th state that I’ve called a home and I hope to add more states and countries to that list as I go. For 2019 my resolutions are mostly gaining back the marbles I lost from moving to New York and reconnecting with nature. It’s also about staying and becoming self-aware and to learn something new every day. What’s your resolutions for 2019?