Moving (Literally) into My Discomfort Zone

Hey there!  Welcome to my first-ever blog!  The sole/soul purpose here is to keep my friends and family informed, keep myself sane, and reach out to others who can relate by tracking my progress as I head off into a Big Life Adventure.

My life can be summed up here:  I've never lived anywhere but Virginia.

So there you have it.  I grew up in Virginia, went to school in Virginia, had all my jobs in Virginia, got married and raised kids in Virginia, got divorced and raised kids in Virginia, and established pretty deep roots in Virginia.

And I like it here!  I do!  I love the autumn with its stunning colors!  I love the proximity to beaches and mountains and the city!  I love my friends and my church and my house and my neighborhood.  There is absolutely nothing wrong here.  I've been gainfully employed since college, met plenty of partners (potential and not), and had so many opportunities to see stuff and do stuff, with friends, with my kids, on a date, and by myself.  There's no shortage of things to love.

But...I've never BEEN anywhere else.  Oh sure, vacations in New England, Florida, Outer Banks.  Travel for work and for pleasure to the West Coast, Europe, Niagara Falls.  I mean, I've left the state.  But never LIVED anywhere else.  Not even during college.  I lived at home and commuted to George Mason University, which was kind of the trend back in the 80's.

And I've never lived ALONE.  I went straight from my parents' home to a house full of roommates to living with a boyfriend who became a husband to living with my kids.

And now, at age 54, I take a look around me and this is what I see:  No more parents (both have passed away); no more kids (both have grown into adults and moved out); no more partner (divorced over a decade ago, and no current relationship).  It is literally me and the cat.

And it's not that I don't think I can be single here in Virginia.  And there's no reason I should feel I need to "escape" where I am now.

But seriously.  I've NEVER lived anywhere else, never been on my own.  It's time.  In fact, it's past time.  And I don't want to wait another minute!  I'm still healthy and relatively young.  I have an amazing business that can move wherever I want to go, and there is no one for me to take care of or support (except my adorable kitty, Bo).

I kind of woke up one morning and realized, I was FREE.  Oh don't get all judgy.  I don't mean like parenthood or marriage was some kind of prison.  Or that caring for my aging parents was a horrible burden.  But I can't remember a time when I wasn't responsible (or at least felt I was) in some way for some other person.  And recognizing that I'm not anymore, and seeing this opportunity to go on an adventure, well...it feels right.  And on a good day, it feels super exciting and full to bursting with opportunity and as-yet-undiscovered treasure.

Of course, on a not so great day, like yesterday, I am terrified, overwhelmed, completely unsure, confused, and doubtful.  But it usually passes.

And let's hope so, because I just sold my house and have told everyone I'm leaving!  It'd be kind of weird if I, like,...didn't.

And so, I've decided a blog is a great way to let people know how I'm doing, but also, on a bigger scale, reach out to maybe people I don't know yet, or people I do know, but who haven't discovered their own inner adventurer yet, and give them a glimpse into stepping right out of that there comfort zone, like ON PURPOSE, and sharing the ups and downs, the trials and wins!

And I'm heading out to Oregon, which is pretty much completely random.  Well, okay, I do have a sister there.  But honestly, we'll be about an hour away from each other, and my whole plan is to live independently and like, see her on holidays.  Or something like that.

Mainly, I like Oregon because it's fairly liberal, has a lot of health conscious people (Eugene, where I'm moving, is known for its joggers and bicyclists), and a lot of vegans too.  This lines up well with my business (Arbonne) and my own personal philosophy on healthy living.  I am also planning to join a mushroom foraging group.  For fun.

I'll rent for a year and see if I really like it, then decide whether to stay, return to Virginia, or go somewhere completely different.

So, I'll keep you posted!  This is just the beginning, before I've even gone to closing or bought a plane ticket!  Many adventures yet to come here on the East Coast, I'm sure, before I can even find my way there.

So welcome to my blog!  And stay in touch!