My Catalyst for Change

When we change our lives are we really even changing at all? Whenever I'm in a new place I need the same things to make me feel at home... a job, a place to live, and a social life of some sort. If I'm in a new place, I'm always looking for the neighborhood that makes me feel at home. So why leave?

We leave because a feeling cannot be what determines what is best for us. We have goals, ambitions, and motivation to do the thing we dream; no matter how crazy it is. Some want to move halfway around the world and others want to move down the road from Mom and Dad's. It doesn't really matter because change is big to the person involved. Perspective can be a funny thing, but it should be present in every thought you have about a life that differs from your own.

The changes in my life have now lead me to Nelson. It is a small town near the top of the South Island that reminds me of North Conway, New Hampshire. I like that even though the names of the streets are foreign it feels familiar. Somehow the trees, footpaths, storefronts and sky tell my body that I've been here before, and I like it. Travelling has given me the gift of recognition. I've been able to look into my life and break it down honestly. I've learned to trust instincts and follow a questionable future. Questions aren't unsettling anymore. I'd have more fear if I was confident I had all the answers.

I leave because it helps me learn, and that is an answer that settles even the biggest of butterflies.