LUCID

Pac Heights, San Francisco

Growing up in New York, I always had this childhood dream of one day living in the hustle and bustle of NYC, where the cars are loud and people are even louder. With my recent move from Boston to NYC, I felt an alarming sense of satisfaction that finally this childhood dream would come true - I get to scratch this lingering itch of being a NYC girl that I've always vowed to be at heart. Yet visiting friends in SF for just a short couple of days has transformed me to rethink that dream which now seems so vapid.

I had the most amazing brunch with a lovely woman named Tria today, someone who successfully built from scratch a wedding planning & design business in the Bay Area [ honey & twine ]. It's funny to imagine that we both went to CMU, sort of recognized one another, but missed out on the opportunity to become friends at the time. It might've been a good thing we didn't meet then - I grossly lacked self awareness or confidence. Listening to Tria talk about her incredible stories of love, of healing, and of humble ambition truly touched my heart. It's rare to meet authentic female role models who empower you to live beyond the confines of your childhood dreams. I'm not exactly sure what Tria said to trigger me, but I am thinking much clearer than I could yesterday and the days before. I can actively evaluate what's important in my life (both professionally and personally), not just for the short-term... but for the long-haul (one where Mike's dreams are just as evident as my own). It'll be quite exciting to see where our dreams will take us next - we've got lots of different ideas. :)

Every day is surprising me. The world is a wonderful, wonderful place if you open your mind and heart to all the stimulus and positive influences around you. But to do so, you have to unapologetically let go of the negative barriers weighing you down. As excited as Mike and I both are to not be in a long distance relationship anymore, we're learning that as we eagerly spend more time together to also spend separate time with friends and family - the very people encouraging us to continue finding ourselves individually as we find success as one.