Today is a happy happy day because it is the first "Summer Friday" of the year!!! Summer Fridays are a New York City tradition when most offices close down early. My office closes at 1pm every Friday until Labor Day. I am stoked!!
Last week my two friends from college were in town. They were so sweet and went out of their way to come visit me at my work and then later that weekend at my apartment. They asked me what my favorite thing about living in New York is and what my least favorite about living in New York is. By the way there are A LOT of least favorite things about living here....but to sum it up, my least favorite thing is constantly being uncomfortable. I would say the majority of my days are spent in awkward and uncomfortable situations. Whether it is being stuffed on a train everyday to and from work, or the extreme changes in weather, or carrying my heavy bags of groceries home from the store, or living in a five floor walk-up apt...etc etc. you get the point. Also, since I moved here 3 years ago, I have worked at 4 different offices and experienced 4 "first days of work."And we all know the first day of anything is THE WORST. I didn't realize in college that being an adult was going to be so challenging, especially experiencing my first years of it, alone in a new city far from home.
However, with all of that said...I guess being uncomfortable is also my favorite part about living in this place. I once heard a quote that said, "Do something everyday that scares you." Okay....I am not going to do that....because that is a little excessive (no need to be scared everyday), but it does ring true in our life experiences. I will also say...that I have grown so much more than I would have had I only lived life inside my comfort zone. Life has really tested me out here, and there is so much about myself I have come to realize through my challenges. My experiences have also humbled me and made me self aware. Through all the difficulties of living in this massively expensive and over crowded city that stresses me out, it has also come to be the most rewarding. Because at the end of everyday and every week, I feel very proud of myself. I have realized it's really okay to be uncomfortable and at times to feel awkward and out of place. I really didn't have too many friends when I first got here. I spent a lot of time alone, exploring the city or watching tv. But it was all really okay! Especially now that I can look back and see where all those experiences lead me.
