My apartment lease was up at the end of the summer so I had to drive to NYC to move out. Luckily I only had a bed and some kitchen things up there, so Price and I made the trip up and back in 3 days in a minivan. I sold my desk in NYC and bought a new one in Georgia so I didn’t have to move it. Since NY had a mandatory quarantine for anyone staying longer than 24 hours, we drove into the city, packed the van, and left all in under 4 hours. We stopped to have a picnic with a friend in PA. I really enjoyed this road trip, despite the level of difficulty added by the pandemic. We took I-81 instead of I-95 because the scenery through the mountains is so picturesque. This was also my first time driving in NYC! This is my roommate, Victoria, and I up on the roof of our building. It’s too bad we only got to live together for a couple of months.
From the Album: 2020
One of the most useful lessons I learned on my year off was to live presently; no matter what is going on, to be mindful of what I am feeling and to listen to what those feelings are telling me. That skill was valuable throughout 2020 as I had to deal with lockdown and the nonstop stream of unfortunate news. The entire year felt like my anxiety and depression Super Bowl. I’ve been learning how to manage, learning how to sit with my feelings, learning how to be alone and okay. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t difficult. Just look at what I let happen to my facial hair. But I took time to enjoy the small things and even learned some new things. And hopefully 2021 will bring slivers of hope and progress.
