It's 3am on a late Sunday night / early Monday morning, and I'm on the couch of an Airbnb near Portland. Everyone else is fast asleep upstairs. Today was a fun one— we left Seattle at 8am and drove to Sunset Beach on our way to Portland. Ah, the first road trip of the summer.
In these past 2 weeks: I’ve packed up a suitcase and left for Seattle (I pride myself in being the world's lightest packer). I moved in with 4 other roommates, and I started my new internship at Microsoft on the DevRel team. I hadn't even noticed how comfortable being back at UBC for the first time in 20 months made me feel. I forgot what it was like to feel struck by something unfamiliar every turn I took— until now.
Change is scary. The only time I stop getting scared is when my mind feels so consumed by the changes, that I don't even have the mental capacity to feel fear anymore. But, the little things help, and I just feel like jotting them down to remind myself that familiarity, can come from anywhere.
The same boy who reads a new book everyday on the bus to work. Going to more trivia nights than I have ever been to in my whole life. Being on first name basis with the barista at the Chatime by my home. My roommate and I regularly binging shows like The Bachelorette. Finding the quickest way to get from my work building to my friend's. My friend teaching me how to play Madeo's Pop Culture mix on the Launchpad. Seattle's UDistrict is the type of neighbourhood I've spent my whole life dreaming about living in. Reunion with ex-interns and visting friends. Spending time in nature again. Hiroshi's Poke. Groups of friends who I love spending time with.
But most importantly, I found comfort in the discomfort. I'm okay with not knowing every single thing. In fact, I came on this Memorial Day long weekend trip having barely met anyone in this group prior to today. But I'm glad I did because I really love hanging out with them. And I was so close to missing out on all of this, had I just adhered to the safety net of my introversion.
A question that Emmanuel brought up on our way back to Seattle: What are you feeling grateful for?
