I Am Still Here: Reflections on the Move & Settling In!

Hello, hello good Peeps! I have missed you BUT I’m still here.

The second half of the year has been FULfilling and I feel like I am very much JUST sitting still to process all the change, reflect on the year, and move gently toward 2026. A LOT has happened – much too much to capture in this post but all is well.

The summer brought swift transitions to my new home, new neighborhood and NEW livelihood. The frolicking began swiftly and has not stopped. I spent more time OUTside this summer and fall than I have in a LONG time. I rediscovered my love of the outdoors (growing up in a small rural town, playing outside all day – quite literally – was the only option for recreation). I found small and large tea + coffee shops … shops that opened early and shops that closed late – like … 10 p.m. late. I ate good food and tried new cuisines. I celebrated!

If I were to assign a theme to the summer months, May was all about hugs, love and reconnection. June was Atlanta festival season, #WeOutside. July was coffee shops, art galleries, #WeBackInside (because of the heat), and birthday festivities. And August was “Back to school!”

I started the new gig and it has continued to be all I imagined + more. My heart warms in one million ways when I pause to take in the sights of campus and the student body. I had equal measure of challenges and accomplishments this fall with new course preps, acclimating to different standards of teaching and mentorship, commuting again AND starting a new research project.

Life has unfolded beautifully but not without grief. I’ve had some sharp good-byes, not only to my former home and seemingly all things related, but also some connections once held in my (re)new(ed) city of residence. This year has continued to show me the importance of choosing me, assessing and adjusting often – including in relationships – and delighting in saying “This no longer works for me and that’s okay.”

But perhaps, most importantly, the year has been the most beautiful testament of what happens when we take the leap. When we take the chance. When we want BETTER. BRIGHTER. BOLDER. And seek after these adVENTURES with every fiber of our being. This year has been my PIVOT year. My “create a new reality” year. This year has been my year of new beginnings. And I’m grateful.

So, as we prepare to close out the year – if you’re reading this real time – what is waiting on the other side for you? What leap is your heart begging you to take? What are YOU dreaming of that it’s now time to chase after?

I’m cheering you on!

XO

Recommendations

Book: The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest

Podcast: The Pivot Podcast