Twelve Years in Florida: Still Figuring It Out
Twelve years ago today, I picked up my life in Minnesota and moved to Florida.
I was a little scared. I was excited. I was ready to see what life would look like on my own, while also knowing that being away from the family and close friends I had grown up with would be one of the hardest parts.
I had no idea what the next 12 years would hold.
Honestly, I do not think I could have imagined it if I tried.
Twelve Years of Life Happening
When I think about the person who moved to Florida in 2014, I know I am a completely different person today.
There have been apartments and relationships and friendships. I have met so many new people and experienced parts of life I could not have predicted. I have lost 4 extended family members, three grandparents and one uncle, and that does not include many other special people that are no longer here. I gained two incredible brother-in-laws. I bought a townhome. I have gone through two layoffs from working full time.
There have been really great moments, really difficult moments, and plenty of moments somewhere in between.
There have been times when I had to figure things out on my own. There have been times when I needed to make a phone call, ask someone for help, or lean on the people around me. There have been situations I wish I could have handled differently and lessons I probably would have preferred to learn another way.
Still, every one of those experiences has taught me something.
One of the biggest things I have learned is that life is not always going to be easy, even when it looks like it should be.
There is so much you cannot predict. There are things you cannot control. There are decisions you will make without knowing exactly where they will lead.
You just have to keep going.
Florida Became Home
One of the strangest parts of looking back on 12 years is realizing that Florida really is home.
I still have moments when I wake up and, at least once in a while, think, How is this even a thing?
I moved here from Minnesota. I have now lived here for 12 years. I bought a home here. I have built a life here.
It is not something I take for granted.
Moving to Florida has also come with a cost, though. Being away from my family has meant a lot of flights back to Minnesota. I am fairly certain I am somewhere close to 100 flights between Florida and Minnesota by now, if not more.
I have never regretted any of them.
I miss being able to celebrate my family’s birthdays in person. I miss some of the ordinary things that used to be easy when everyone lived closer together.
I also really, really miss the Minnesota State Fair.
I have only been once in the last 11 years. I got to go in 2014 before I moved and again in 2022 when I happened to be back in Minnesota for celebrating my Grandma’s life and getting some family time in.
Twelve years later, apparently one of the things I miss most about Minnesota is cheese curds, pronto pups, Sweet Martha’s Cookies, the Grandstand, and the State Fair. Nope, this is not the full list.
Honestly, that feels about right.
The Fastest and Slowest Year
This past year has somehow been both the fastest and slowest year at the same time.
So much has happened over the last 365 days, and yet it is hard to believe another year has already passed.
Life has looked really different this year, particularly as I have spent a lot of time figuring out what the next step in my career looks like. I am not going to get into all of the personal details, but there has been a lot of figuring things out, reassessing, and thinking about what I want now and what I want my future to look like.
For the first time in several years, there was not a wedding being planned somewhere in my immediate family. After spending the last three years being involved in my sisters’ weddings in all kinds of different ways, that alone feels a little strange. I look back on that particular season of life, and I am so grateful to both of them. For how they incorporated me in several aspects of their own weddings and getting to be a part of such an important moment in their lives. There is so much alone in that season of life that I am entirely grateful for.
Life changes.
People change.
Plans change.
This past year has reminded me that I thrive when I have routines, goals, and things I want to accomplish each day. It has pushed me to keep challenging myself, keep growing, and keep figuring out what works for me in this particular season of life.
Still Taking a Chance on Myself
If I could go back to September 18, 2014 and talk to that version of myself, I would tell her that a lot is going to happen in Florida.
A lot that she will not be able to control.
A lot that she may wish she had done differently.
A lot that will challenge her in ways she cannot possibly predict.
I would tell her that she is going to have to grow up and figure some things out on her own. I would tell her that some of the lessons are going to be really hard.
But I would also tell her that she is going to be amazed by the things that happen.
She is going to make decisions she never expected to make. She is going to face challenges she never saw coming. She is going to meet people who become important parts of her life. She is going to lose people she wishes she could keep. She is going to build things she never imagined building.
Regardless of all of that, she is going to keep taking chances on herself.
That might actually be the most consistent thing about these last 12 years.
I took a chance on myself when I moved to Florida.
I have taken chances on myself countless times since.
I am still doing it today.
I am still figuring life out every single day. I am still growing. I am still pushing myself. I am still learning how to be a better communicator in every part of my life. I am still working toward goals and figuring out which goals matter to me now. I am still learning what I want for myself today and what I might want down the road.
I do not have everything figured out and I have to come to find out; I never will.
Twelve Years Later
Would I do it again?
Absolutely. Without question.
Not because every part of these 12 years has been easy. It has not.
Not because everything worked out exactly the way I expected. It definitely did not.
I would do it again because moving to Florida gave me the opportunity to grow into a person I could not have imagined becoming when I loaded up my life in Minnesota in 2014.
Twelve years later, I have learned that there is always going to be something new to figure out.
There will always be another goal. Another challenge. Another lesson. Another opportunity to grow.
Maybe that is okay.
Maybe life is not about reaching some point where you finally have everything figured out.
Maybe it is about continuing to take the next step, continuing to learn, continuing to push yourself, and continuing to take a chance on yourself.
Twelve years ago today, I picked up my life and moved to Florida.
Twelve years later, I am still figuring it out.
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