So, my life in New York City has come to an end. I have no regrets from my time there. I did everything I wanted to and so much more. I could have never planned all that I got to do and see and eat. Not to mention, the church I was a part of, the people I met, and the job I got to have for most of that time. I truly believe that God greatly blessed my time there. I couldn’t have orchestrated it so perfectly myself. I still love that city deeply and it was definitely hard to make the decision to leave now. But, I’m happy about what Dallas holds for me and came to a place of peace about leaving New York. New York is not going anywhere - I will visit often and, who knows - maybe I’ll move back some day (this IS my 3rd time to live in Dallas, so it’s clearly possible!)
This blog will probably come to an end soon. It has served as my scrapbook during my NYC years. I really want to finish posting the pictures and details from this past year (including finishing the Spain trip....ahhhh, I’m a year behind!!). And the past month has been a BLAST, so I definitely have to share with you all that went down during my NYC last hurrah! So, there will be more posts to come for a bit. I hope that this time of transition affords the time to finish this blog up, as I currently have no standing obligations or commitments in Dallas (well....except for that little Bachelorette party on Monday nights - same party I was attending weekly over 6 years ago is still happening with the same girlfriends. I am so glad!).
As I leave New York City (literally...I’m on the plane!, but will post this later.), I’ve been thinking about how much I learned during my time there and how I want to make sure I take those nuggets back to Dallas with me. Here is what I’m inspired to do in Dallas :
1) Make an effort to get to know my neighbors. I got to know my neighbor, Christine, fairly well. She lived on the 5th floor of my building. I probably wouldn’t have gotten to know her so well if she didn’t also work with my friend from church, Megan. But, that connection set us up for friendship. We ran into each other in the neighborhood often (and even the Lower East Side recently one night!). She came over to my apartment for small parties a couple of times and also had me up to hers. She even had me up for cosmos and a to-die-for dip on my last evening in the City before I had to head to dinner with other friends. She was also the person I could complain to when our one set of rude neighbors did things like leave a trash bag full of stinky, dirty diapers in the hallway. My friendship with Christine made me realized that it’s worth it to know your neighbors - reach out to your neighbors and get to know them!
2) Tell my co-workers I appreciate them and thank them for their hard work. This does not happen in the workplace often enough and whether I am feeling valued for my hard work or not, I want to make sure those around me know that I do value them.
3) Get out and explore - even if it’s by myself! I LOVE to explore new things - places, restaurants, events. It may be a bit harder to find interesting things in the Dallas area, but I’m going to make it happen! And I actually love exploring by myself almost as much as I do with other people, so I can’t let that be an excuse.
4) Surround myself with friends who love Jesus and who make it a priority to strengthen their relationship with Him through prayer and time in the Word. I spent the past year amongst some Godly women who truly love Jesus. These were women who have known Jesus their whole life and women who’ve only known Him a year or two or three. They were each inspiring to me and my own personal relationship with God. There was a long period in NYC where I didn’t have these kinds of friends in my life and I saw myself stumbling in my own personal walk. Seeing others being transformed and filled with joy through their relationship with Jesus is contagious! I need that in my life.
5) Make some friends who do not know Jesus at all. It is very easy in Dallas to fall into the Christian bubble. There are so many great churches in Dallas and when I lived there before it seemed as if everyone I knew was not only a Christian, but very involved in their church and striving to gain a greater knowledge and understanding of Jesus. Don’t get me wrong - this is a good thing! But, I also know that there are many, many people in Dallas who do not know Jesus. In NYC, I was able to get to know some people like this through my Book Club and the Baylor Alumni club, and my neighborhood. I want to make sure I have friends who do not know Jesus in my new life in Dallas - it may take more effort, but I’m willing to try to find them! And then I will pray that I would love them well and that Jesus would be glorified to me through me.
6) Don’t become a hoarder. I lived in very tight quarters in NYC and it was totally fine - I even liked it! I had much more than I needed and way less than I would have had if I had more closet space and rooms. AND I still managed to take 4 huge bags to Goodwill as I was clearing out my apartment in those last days. I’ll most definitely be living in a larger space in Dallas (they don’t even make studios here...do they?), but I don’t want that to be an excuse to have more “things”.
I’m sure there are many, many more things I have learned that I need to hold on to, but these are the ones that are at the forefront of my mind and where I will start!