The Life of a Mango

Well, I’m finally getting adjusted in Colorado, which has been much harder than I expected - and for much different reasons.  the past few days I’ve been toying with buying a ticket back to New York….

I miss my boyfriend, but I find solace in talking about him - TO EVERYONE lol.  I’ve been to a few parties, met a lot of great new friends, and everyone always wants to know how I’m able to be 2,000 miles away from my other half.  The truth is, it’s easier than I thought it would be…some of the time.  It’s hard leaving someone you’ve spent every day with for three years.  It’s hard to find your balance when the person you sets you at ease the most isn’t here.  But I look at it as a great learning experience, one that will help me to become more independently balanced in any situation.

It took 10 days to find a job - something I definitely wasn’t expecting - especially considering I had 6 jobs in NYC in the three months that I was there… lol.  I’ll be serving at an aquarium, which I think will be both soothing (I love fish) and chaotic (yayyy screaming children!! haha)

Other than a few minor tear-filled freak outs, I’m doing great.  Sometimes things get overwhelming, but I’ve met a great group of girl friends.  They’ve welcomed me into their group like a sister.  It feels so good to have a group of women who can tell when you need a night out and aren’t afraid to have a good time.

So far, Colorado is turning out alright :)

As I sit in a 4 bedroom 4 bath house in Colorado, I realize why it was so hard to be in New York City.  It’s not that I need to live in a giant house or don’t want to work as hard…(although who does want to work 50hrs a week just to be able to afford a shoebox in Manhattan??)  …There’s just something different about being able to see as far as your eyes will let you.  

The view from the back patio stretches at least 10mi and all I can think about is how claustrophobic I felt on a daily basis on the East Coast.  Now that I’m back it’s like my lungs weren’t able to fill to their full capacity, something I find odd as I’m now a mile higher in elevation.  I feel like I haven’t been able to breathe freely at all in the last year.  Being home carries a great feeling of familiarity and happiness that I can’t begin to describe.

I’m also humbled by my family’s efforts to help me get everything situated.  My dad is letting me stay at his house as long as I want, and he’s only here a few nights a week so I have the entire house to myself.  My first few days will be spent working out (the man’s got 4 fitness machines and an inverter to flip you upside down…FUN!!), doing yoga, and taking as many baths in his GIANT tub as I can.  

In a perfect world, I could adapt to life in The Big Apple, but that would involve changing who I am as a person.  I couldn’t adapt to “the rat race” that most of the New Yorkers have mastered, and why would I want to?  I eat organic/natural/certified humane food and it was almost impossible to find, let alone afford in the big city.  Not to mention the lack of fresh air and open space… GAWD I felt like I was in a sardine can!

What’s funny is Colorado didn’t make me this way.  Before I left I wasn’t watching documentaries and researching nutrition.  I wasn’t eating organically or constantly munching on granola - which is most peoples perception of someone from Boulder.  I did wear birkenstocks year round, but that’s for comfort :)  I wasn’t a very aware human being while I was living in Colorado.  It took me leaving my home and moving to Washington, DC to really discover who I am, and once I allowed myself to really become who I was meant to be, I realized that home was where I wanted to be. For me.

So yes, I left my boyfriend of 3 years behind.  And yes, it will probably be hard at times.  But I’m doing exactly what I need to do to be successful, and I’m doing what makes me happy.  When you are doing what you love and following your dream, it is impossible to fail.