Sunday, December 2, 2012

Life Update

It has been 4 months since I packed up my CR-V, headed West on I-80 through Chicago, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and finally arrived in Utah.

I have moved around more times than I wish to count, and each time I learn a little bit more. If somebody wanted to know what lesson I learned from this round of moving I would emphatically tell them "Don't ever move in July/August/September/October time frame." Why you might ask? Because that dreaded homesickness that I talked about in this post, will happen right over the holidays. Don't get me wrong, I have had a wonderful time here in Utah, but change is hard, and it makes no difference if you are moving to a location with an iron-clad support system.

I knew that moving to Utah would be hard, but I never expected to miss Ohio as much as I do. It's almost comical as I look back at the posts from the last 2 years (just reading last Thanksgiving's post made me chuckle a little bit to see how far I have come in just a year) , to see how much I wrote about hating Ohio, because now I would give anything to have my "Ohio life" back. Having removed myself from the situation I realize how many wonderful people I left behind, whether they be co-workers,  friends from Church, or the patients I worked with. The move happened really fast, a year ago I would have never expected to have quit my job in Cleveland and move across the country to a new career path in Utah. That being said, I know that it is a lot easier to look back at the things that I miss about Ohio, as I sit here on my couch, surrounded by so many wonderful friends that I have known for years. I have here what I always wanted in Ohio, an instant support system.

Despite my longing for the life I had in Ohio, I plaster a smile on my face and try to make the most of every day (more of the "fake-it-till-you-make-it" philosophy). I have decided if I keep myself busy enough I won't have time to miss the things I had in Cleveland. I have already run three races (two 5k's and one 10k), I have been able to go hiking (real mountain hiking), I have gone back to Moab, I spent the holiday's with family, I got to hold little baby Brooklyn, I have had somebody to eat Sunday dinner with every week, and I have laughed so hard I have almost peed my pants. But I still feel like something is missing, and that is when I came across this quote that really resonated with me, "Nothing is worth it if you are not happy." and that is when I realized that all of the decisions I have made to get me to Utah have not made me truly happy. I thought that I wanted to leave the clinical setting, that as soon as I changed my career path to a a more outdoor recreation based job I would find my calling in life.... I have discovered that thought is FALSE! So what have I discovered you might ask? I have decided that I loved my job in the hospital. I have decided that I love being around my friend's and family. I have decided that I still want to work with medically fragile infants. So after throwing around many options I think I have settled on one.... I want to get my Master's in Occupational therapy at the University of Utah (or maybe University of Minnesota). This is a pretty lofty goal, and I am not sure when this will happen, but just ask anyone, when I know what I want, I get it. As of right now I will continue to give 100% to my job, I will continue to put a smile on my face, and I will continue to enjoy my life in Utah.