New Place, New Life: On Moving and My Writing

Big things have happened in my life, and that has very much extended into my writing.

First off: I’ve officially finished moving.

For the first time, I am truly on my own in the new beginning that is adulthood. Gone are the days of roommates, some good and some bad, and gone are the days of living with my parents. It is my turn to take charge of my life, make my schedule, and try to find a routine in which I can thrive in my projects and in ordinary life.

How did the move go, you may ask? Honestly, it was both much better and much worse than expected. Nothing major broke on the drive from my hometown to my new city, but it did take multiple trips from the internet company to get my WiFi working. I got nearly everything put away within twenty-four hours, but I cannot for the life of me find my wireless earbuds to go workout. My couch won’t arrive for another week and a half, and I did have a scare when I thought my sprinkler was leaking, but in the end, I couldn’t be happier.

Even better, timing worked out perfectly where I was able to move in two weeks before I started work, which meant plenty of time for exploring. As my parents were gone after the first week, I was also able to pursue things I may not have done if they were still around.

I went to a creative writing group at the library. I drove out to another town by myself to wander the outlets. I even went to a karaoke bar.

There are still things that I need to figure out, of course. My desk chair is currently one of my dining chairs, for example, and I don’t quite know what I’m going to do for work lunches on the days I’m in the office. My schedule is already a little packed, too, which means I have to reorganize to get workouts in for running and eventual triathlon training.

I still have some anxieties about living alone, too. Being in a new city where you know absolutely no one isn’t easy, and part of me wonders if I’ll be able to ever make friends outside of the people I work with (at least I know that you shouldn’t have your coworkers be your only friends). I’m also not in the routine of paying bills yet, and part of me truly fears that I’m going to forget or accidentally overdraft my account.

But what does all of this have to do with writing? Everything, actually. Being on my own means I have the time and mental space to carve out my own schedule, including with writing. I’m able to write in the mornings before work, as I’m doing with this blog. I can start streaming to work on projects and be present with people online who wish to co-work. Though not having friends can be scary, it also means that I don’t have the constant social obligations such as when I had roommates that tear me away from my hobbies.

I’ve already written more in the past few weeks than I have for much of the year, which is both sad and comforting to say. My passion for my projects has been rekindled, as if it was just a bear hibernating in the winter, and the possibility of getting The Unwanted Sacrifice to some sort of alpha or beta reader grows each day.

Here’s to a new place and a new life. Here’s to coming up with routines and watching Twitch streams on a smart TV.

And, hopefully, here’s to a new consistency in writing, blogging, and even social media.