Three Years in Austin

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Today marks 3 years of living in Austin. I moved from Bryan/College Station, Texas, where I’d been for the previous 8 years. (Four for college / four working after college.) The move to Austin was intended to pursue a better job. And because I’ve since left that job for an even better one, I can say with total certainty, the move allowed me to pursue my chosen career.

Austin the city was everything I wanted at the time. It offered culture, food, drinks, people, creativity, and so much more. I had dreamed of moving to Austin since high school, and at 26, I had finally made it.

Three years later, while I can say I do truly love Austin, I can also admit life didn’t turn out the way I intended. And I partly blame the city. It added possibilities and opportunities that challenged my life as defined by my 26 year old self. And parts of that life didn’t survive over time. But it was that same addition of possibilities and opportunities that helped me heal from those losses and discover a life I never even imagined.

My life now is more focused on home & less focused on exploring the city. I’m more likely to skip that cool show or art exhibit or pairing dinner than participate. My priorities changed. My focus turned to taking care of myself & investing in things I deem more important than the latest restaurant opening. That wasn’t my intention when moving here, but that’s the person I’ve become without regret.

Will I stay in Austin forever? Probably not. It’s growing too fast for my liking. And I’m not sure there’s much more the city has to offer me than the status quo. I find myself craving a slower life with a closer community. A life more akin to the one I had in Bryan/College Station. (Though I’ll probably never find myself back there again either.) Honestly, only time will tell.

But for now, I plan to still take advantage of everything Austin has to offer me: a good job; proximity to family; memories made with Brian; a great movie culture; and lake life at my home outside the city. And for now, that’s all I could ask for.