I just moved from LA to Chicago after spending the last 18 months trying really hard to make LA work. And for a while, I thought I could. But a lot happened in LA that made me feel like maybe I wasn’t supposed to be there right now. Of course, by the time I finally decided to leave, the breakup goggles kicked in hard, and I found myself painfully nostalgic for everything I’d been ready to escape.

Leaving wasn’t easy, but I did it. Chicago felt like a good reset. It’s another big city, still a blue dot in an otherwise red hellscape (blue isn’t much better but at least there’s some directional alignment). The cost of living is a little lower, there are more than 2 seasons, and something about being back in the Midwest feels grounding. Maybe it’s because I’m from this half of the country. The southern half, but it just feels a little more homey.

Anyway, I just downloaded Bumble BFF and…whoa, it kinda sucks now. I was counting on it to help me ease into this transition, especially since I just started my content creation journey and could really use some friends to take my fake candids.

But yeah I’m not going to be using that. What did they do? I’m realizing I’ll have to put in some serious effort to make friends again, which feels almost impossible when I’m already at capacity between work and my MBA program. (Why did I think getting an MBA and restarting my life at the same time was a good idea?)

I’m trying to stay positive. I want to explore, find my go-to spots, and start feeling rooted here. Working from home and doing an online MBA doesn’t exactly help with the isolation, but maybe that’s part of the lesson. Being uncomfortable is usually where the growth happens.

So yeah, here’s to that. New city, new chapter, and hopefully, new friends. I don’t have a plan, and I’m not totally sure what I’m doing, but let’s do it anyway. I miss LA, but I can’t get stuck on that right now.