27

After 26 years of living in the same city, last May became my opportunity to move out and live on an island. I felt deeply grateful to be given the chance to start anew. But then, one thing led to another. I was laid off from my job and eventually returned to the city where I was born.

Interestingly, after being away for only four months, I somehow felt like I no longer belonged there. Everywhere I went, I felt like a foreigner. I no longer feel comfortable nor familiar. Some might say I was being “too much” after all, I was born and raised there. But maybe moving away helps you see more clearly, or align more honestly, with the kind of life you want to live.

Then came the fear. I made the commitment to leave again to move out, to let go of a well-paid job with a stable future, just to “see what was out there for me.” And honestly, now I’m not always sure it was the right move. I no longer had stability. I had to search for freelance work to make ends meet. I had to put in the effort to build new friendships after having more or less the same circle for the past ten years.

What if I made the wrong move? What if I made the wrong friends?

I used to think moving away only came with two fears living in a new place and being away from family and friends. But now, almost every day, I’m faced with new scenarios that make me wonder, will I make it? Then again, isn’t life a series of mistakes we learn from?

I’m choosing to trust that God has placed the people I’ve met here in my life for a reason, to be part of my story and give it purpose. It takes courage to open up and let God lead you to where He wants you to be.

And if you ask me whether I regret choosing this path, the answer is no, I don’t.