Don't Blink

I know they tell us to enjoy our youth. They say that as 20-somethings, we get way to anxious about our future; that this age is about discovery and learning who we are.

As a 20-something, I am enjoying the present. I'm enjoying figuring out who I am, and experiencing life as it unfolds in a way I never imagined. It's only natural, though, to think about the future. Maybe I do it too often, but I promise I'm trying to not become so obsessive.

I'm heading back to the city, and I couldn't be more excited. It's going to be my home for a bit longer, but I never saw myself staying there long term. Most people can't. Great for now, not forever.

The last few years, I've been a bit of a gypsy. My friends tell me that they can hardly keep up with where I am, and that they every time they talk to me, they expect some drastic change. I've kind of been floating, but more like a balloon tied to a string; a very, very long string. The point of anchor, until recently.. no clue. With every city I'd visit, I'd try to picture my life there. I'd think about my career, how far it was from my family and friends, and I'd pay attention to how it felt. I believe that certain places, people, things, just feel right. I felt it on my first visit to Gainesville. I felt it when I sat in that chair when I toured Parsons.

This nomadic lifestyle is exhausting. I'd really love to have a home base. I love NY. It's a place I will always go back to, but it isn't it. If I'm going with that gut feeling, I could tell you what it's saying right now. For now though, I'll leave you with a list of cities I really, REALLY like:

San Francisco, CA. I love San Francisco's culture. It's liberal. It's indie. It satisfies my inner hippie, while letting be a city girl until my heart's content. The worse thing about it, besides the gruesomely long flight back to Florida and the hours I'd lose on trips home, is the number of times I'd hear "hella".

Orlando, FL. Never in a million years did I think I'd want to live there, but it's a great place for young professionals; just full of yuppies. Growing up in Jax, I was never particularly fond of the city known for so many tourist attractions. Plus, being in central florida, um, how far is the beach? But downtown is fun, and places like Winter Park are at my disposal.

Charleston, SC. When it comes to southern charm, Charleston epitomizes it. The Carolinas are just beautiful in general. There's no wonder why Nicholas Spark's novels are all set there, and why Josh Turner sings about that state all day. I'm smitten, but I'll limit it to downtown Charleston. It's a little sketch outside of that.

I'd proofread this and come up with a concluding paragraph, and make sense of all of the ideas in this post, but it's nearly 1AM and I'm tired. So there. I have a much more thorough list of pros and cons for each, but I'm going to spare you the details.

Oh, and which city is my pick? Well, I don't want to jinx it.