KELLY'S GONE AGAIN
…AND HERE'S WHERE I'M AT.Archive for United States
#58. Big Sur: Going Back to Cali
One of the [few] things I love about moving is the discovery process (or, for my Type A’ers, re-discovery). Restoring memories from old photos, reliving favorite stories from old books, playing CDs burned years before but never titled. While unearthing some mystery music, one song in particular called out, “wouldn’t it be good if we could hop a flight to anywhere??” And I thought, “why yes, it would.”
The next day, I woke up in California.
#57. Washington, D.C.: The Fear Factor
So, I’ve been spending a lot of time outside lately. November has gifted Washington with some unusually mild-weathered days, which make the outdoors — complete with gold and auburn autumn leaves that [g]litter sidewalks — the perfect visual to calm me. And I do need calming. In the last 4 weeks, I’ve moved my old life to a new town, taken a 180-degree career turn, and launched a health and wellness business. Even for a fairly free-spirited girl like me who moved through more than 60 foreign cities this year, that’s a lot of change.
Many of you have asked how I’m not scared. Well, here’s my secret:
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#56. New York-Washington, D.C.: En Route Ramblings
Well, things on the “home front” (I know, sorry) have continued to rock gently back and forth. I’ve delayed my annual ordering of permanent address labels, opting instead for splitting time between Washington and New York until I make a commitment. I carry my life in a shoulder bag, friends; a one-woman, moving, modern nomadic force.
Today I’m heading south again, watching the City’s skyscrapers fade in the rear view. Every time I’m here, I feel I belong. Every time I go, I feel a little like I’m leaving the nest. It’s gray and muted – a slowly spinning scene around your own stillness – like saying goodbye to anything that’s a part of you.
Here’s the cool part, though…
#55. Washington, D.C.: Trading Peru for Temporary Permanence
We need to talk. I think I owe you an explanation. If you’ve been reading lately, you know I’m still considering where to live next. You know that I’ve returned from the Best Year Ever, and you’ve probably figured out that the title “Kelly’s Gone Again” doesn’t seem as zingy when I’m, well, here.
You may also know that I was seriously considering keeping it up and, for example, making a little life in Lima. What better way to spend the rest of 2009 than setting up shop in Peru and joining a maternity clinic I’d found to expand my interests in all things baby-related, right? Well…
#54. New York City: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
I write listening to the soundtrack of a very talented street musician playing his guitar as I look at the silver skyline of my favorite city. Oh, New York, I do love you.
#53. Washington, D.C.: There’s No Place Like Home
So, now that I’m firmly back on American soil, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family and pets (check out Harley Maximilian, pictured here, after one of our bonding+jogging sessions). In addition to reconnecting with others, I’ve also been reconnecting with my environment, thinking a lot about where I’m going next… and I don’t mean trips. Deciding on new short-term destinations is easy (Oslo? Lima? Kigali? Okinawa?), but choosing a city that will be my next home?
Not so much.
