Last week marked 4 years that we’ve lived in Charleston! I honestly can’t believe it. It’s funny to look back on a moment in time that feels so exciting and also emotionally challenging. I remember feeling like I could never imagine feeling settled, making new friends, finding a community or loving a home as much as our last. It still shocks me that our move ever actually took place and yet it’s the one thing I know I’ll always be so proud of us for doing.
I get asked all the time about the challenges of making a big move, especially when you’ve started a family and planted your roots. Moving to Charleston was something I always envisioned for myself. There were years where it felt really attainable (before Dave and I got married we were looking to move here!) and years where I could never imagine leaving my family or the life I knew and loved. But there was something in the back of my mind that always made me feel a pull. I think that feeling led me to trust my intuition and lean in.
Our circumstances around moving were a little chaotic because it was Covid, Chicago had experienced a longggg year of Covid and I was very pregnant with George. If you remember we rented a house in Charleston for the month of November in 2020, to escape the cold but also see if we could envision ourselves living here. In that month we quickly knew we wanted to go for it so we hired a realtor, looked at 2 homes on the market in the neighborhood we really wanted, negotiated, our offer got accepted and we had the inspection all before returning home to Chicago. When I wrote the post Iinked above I knew we were moving, which is crazy. I didn’t announce it until January 2, 2021. George was born 4 days later and we moved when he was 7 weeks old.
I know a lot of you followed me during that period of time. Emotions were high! I was so heartbroken to leave my security blanket. I still mourn that period of time. I’ve learned that the closing of a chapter is the hardest part. Shutting the door on something that IS so special in the hopes of finding something that is special in a different way. I was so fearful that I would never feel the same comfort as our sweet little house, in the town I grew up in, a mile down the road from my parents, my siblings and my childhood friends.
But, I did! And it is even more wonderful than I could have imagined. It doesn’t happen overnight. Not having immediate family nearby forced us to lean on each other to make a life that we want, together, has been really special. I’m so grateful for the past 4 years, for the streets that are now familiar, for the routines that are comforting and a new feeling of home.
I’m going to leave you with this. I wrote this on my Instagram stories at some point and I save it to reread when I need it. A little reminder that multiple things can exist at the same time. You can be happy you moved away and miss something you left behind. You can fear growing older but also love each new phase that you’re in. You can take a risk and also be really fucking scared. All of it is part of being human. xoxo
