A New Life

It is official: I am going to Columbia in the fall.

Wow. That is simultaneously one of the most exciting and frightening statements I have made in a long time. I am so ready to be back in school and working towards my long term professional goals. I love being a student and know that going to Columbia is going to help open a lot of doors for me. At the same time, New York City is not somewhere I ever thought I would live. Granted, it is only for a year, but it is still a daunting prospect. Moving to a new city, going to a challenging university, leaving my family and friends and work. I am scared that I will not be successful or that I am somehow making a mistake in going. I am scared to be on my own and have to radically alter every aspect of my life.

But what is it that is posted on the board at Crossfit Central? “Routine is the Enemy.” In the last 2 years, my life has been fairly predictable. It has been amazing, don’t get me wrong. But I have defiantly fallen into a comfortable cycle of work, working out, and spending time with family and friends. I am so happy with my life right now, and I am really scared to give that up. But I know that I have to in order to get where I want to be in the long run. I could easily see my life staying the same for years and years and being perfectly content. But I know that sooner or later, things have to change and the course of your life depends on how you prepare for that next phase.

So for a year I am going to do something that scares me. I am going to be on my own in New York City, taking hard classes and adjusting to living on a tight budget. I know I am going to get homesick and be sad and wish I could come home. But you know what? At the end of that year, I know that it is going to be well worth it. One year of hard work in order to make the rest of my life exactly what I want it to be. New York better watch out!