The one where it's been a year

Yesterday was a mile marker for me. 

One year ago, I was inside my favorite little coffee shop in Kalamazoo. I'd left the surgeon's office having been cleared to start running again post knee surgery and stopped to get my favorite drink. The look I was given by my gal Allison clued me into the fact that something was amiss. 

It was December 2020. My neighbors had moved. My office had announced we'd be staying home at least another six months, and I was about to learn my favorite coffee shop was closing their doors. That was the final straw. I knew I needed to make a change. I was at the end of my rope and I could either suck it up and keep struggling, or I could make a change.

I got in my car, called my apartment complex and said, "Aside from the inordinate amount of money it costs to break a lease, what else do I need to know? How much of a notice do you need?" They said 45 days. I responded, "What is 45 days from right now?" They said, "January 31." I told them I was on my way with the money. 

I just made the decision. Right then. This was the moment. Not only was it the right time, it was also THE cheapest day to break a lease. If I had done it a day later, it would have been even more. 

One year ago, I decided to choose adventure, to step into the unknown. One year ago, I chose to make a change, having NO idea where that would lead me. I honestly thought I'd pack up, put my stuff in storage and would end back up in Kalamazoo 6-9 months later. That thought devastated me, but I knew it would at least HELP to not be there for a bit of time. 

One year later and I'm typing this from my home. The home I bought. In Charlotte. Sitting next to my Christmas tree with a cup of coffee. 

I could not have even DREAMED this would be my reality one year ago. Charlotte was never on my radar. 

Yet here I am. And it's good.