Finding Home Away From Home
I always love this time of year. Right now, it’s full swing summer and that means time for books, hikes, and time out in the sun. We’ve just moved to San Diego this past week and I find it is the perfect place to embrace summer in all her glory. I cannot get over how beautiful it is here—rather than the sound of traffic, I hear a breeze and instead of the look of smog, I see clear blue skies. I’m not mad about it.
I’m thinking about so many of the students that I work with as they are getting ready for new moves in their lives, too. Whether it’s for the first year of college, for their first job, or another life transition, so many of us are finding ourselves in new homes this year. And perhaps the move is metaphorical for you; maybe you’re staying in the same geographic location, but you have different people in your life (coming and/or going), you’ve changed jobs, or you’re pursuing a new endeavor. I suppose in some ways we are all moving, all the time.
I wanted to share some little takeaways I’ve learned this past week when it comes to settling in:
Make it yours as soon as possible:We moved all our belongings and hung up all our pictures within 24 hours of arriving in our new home. It made all the difference! Of course, this isn’t always possible but even putting up some picture frames can make your space feel so much more like yours.
Explore your surroundings: We’ve really tried to find fun restaurants, shops, and locales to check out (and have maybe gotten lost a time or two). My best excuse has been using Classpass which has gotten me exercising all over San Diego this past week (including jazzercise—for real, though).
Invite people to visit:Having my parents and two of my best friends already visit has helped settle right in. If you can invite people you love to explore the surroundings with you, you’ll likely find yourself settling right in.
Embrace the homesickness: Don’t fight it. It’s only natural that we miss “home” sometimes. Understanding that some things are better, and some are worse in our new place is all part of the experience. Life is all about the both/and. We can both miss our old surroundings while welcoming our new ones.
Make a Sunny Set (aka bucket list) of what you’d like to do: We’ve just created one for San Diego and can’t wait to do as many as we can in the year. We’ve also added a restaurant section to it since we’re semi-foodies. Put this list up and check the items off as you go. This will be perfect the next time you find yourself saying, “I’m bored.”
Moving is never easy but we can welcome the changes or pout our way through them. It doesn’t make the change go away regardless. Looking for the beauty in the situation—including new scenery, friendly new faces, and new eats are all things that can soften our landing. As we all move our way through life, I appreciate you for joining me in the journey.
