Why am I packing up and moving across the country solo at 30-years-old?
That’s a loaded question, isn’t it? But it’s the season of my life I’m in, and it feels unaligned to write about anything else right now.
So many people have asked why. Why now? Why Los Angeles? Solo? Are you sure? And I get it; I absolutely do. It’s bold, it’s brave, it’s a big move. It’s a long drive. It’s a commitment. It’s a lot of things.
I visited a soul sister in California in March of 2020, right before the pandemic altered everything. I can still feel the feelings in my body from that trip, now two years later—a new sense of being, a feeling of home, an aliveness within my blood and bones.
Those 5 days of sunshine, ocean air, sand between my toes, and remembrance shifted something within me. I returned back to Chicago, to my corporate job that I was on the verge of leaving, and told everyone in my life “I need to move to California.” I said it to anyone who would listen, but everyone brushed it off.
Fast forward 6 months and my life looked like someone else’s. I had taken the leap I planned on making—to become a Spiritual Healer and Coach. I was living back with my parents at nearly 29, I was working on building a book of clients, I was beginning again. I felt refreshed and revived. My life started to feel full of purpose.
California was still on my mind. The ocean, the beach, the sunsets were calling. “Next spring,” my soul said. I needed to settle more, I wasn’t “ready.”
I settled in Chicago for another year. In September 2021, I made my way back to Southern California for a quick work trip and the peace I felt in my bones was deeper than before. This time I knew, it was time. No more waiting, no more excuses. I may never be fully “ready.”
“Spring 2022,” my soul said, “it’s time to make moves.” In less than 48-hours in a place I will soon call home, I had never been so sure of my decision. My mind almost couldn’t keep up with my soul and spirit. My body was moving faster than my emotions. My body was ready. I was more than ready for this change.
I had spent so much of my 20s struggling through grief, depression, and finding my footing in life. I spent so much of my life living for others, putting them first. But it was time for that to truly shift once again. To take the biggest leap of my life.
I made a declaration at the end of 2021, that in 2022 no matter how it looked, these conscious decisions were for me. It was time to live my life for myself. Truly for no one else, but me.
The drive itself represents freedom. Open road with endless time for reflection. A new city allows for new beginnings. With a move like this, there’s endless release and space for expansion. It feels as though it’s been a cycle of full moons and new moons almost daily in my life. It’s been full of every emotion possible the last two months. Intense, beautiful, draining, scary, and excitement, just to name a few. But at last, I am ready. I am READY.
And so here I am, about to set off on a cross country drive, solo, at 30. Some say it’s brave, some say it’s bold. Some say I can come back if it doesn’t work out.
What I say is, it’s living. And that’s what we’re meant to do. We’re meant to live. It looks different for all of us. It’s okay if some people don’t understand how you live your life. What matters most is that you love how you live.
So, how will you live? How can you live for yourself?
