I left Boston to come back to Minnesota on March 2, 2010. I stepped off the plane, looked at the 3 feet of snow around me and said “What the hell was I thinking? Um, take me back now thanks.”
At the time I thought leaving Boston was going to be one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I didn’t want to do it. I told everyone I did but that was a lie. I loved Boston. I had great friends, was having tons of fun and loved the independence. When I chose to move back to Minnesota I knew that meant moving back in with my parents and having to figure out how my life fit back into the Minnesota life style of being married and having babies. I didn’t know if I was ready for that but knew that Minnesota was calling so I answered.
A year later here I sit staring at even more snow than when I landed a year ago and am thinking about what a great decision I made.
Even though my life in the last year has sometimes been a Lifetime movie, I can’t help but think what I wouldn’t have learned about myself if I hadn’t made this move. I lost a close friend to cancer which was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through. I lost another close friend due to unnecessary bull shit and drama. On the flip side I have rekindled old friendships. Started new friendships with people I would have never met otherwise. Became the Chapter Advisor for my sorority down at Gustavus and am having so much fun. Live with my parents again and totally love it. So many wonderful and not so wonderful things have happened in the last year and I have learned so much.
I struggled at the beginning. My friend, Ms. Annie O’Dell (AOD), passed away about 7 weeks after I moved home. She was the main reason I answered that call. No matter what has happened in the last year and my struggles with being back, I wouldn’t trade any of that for the 7 weeks I got to spend with her, our friends and her family talking about love, life and our grief. Every day I put on my Team Annie bracelet. Every day I think of her. The year anniversary of her death is coming up soon. Annie’s positive outlook and love for life gets each of us through each day. She truly lived her motto “Live out loud.”
So today as I reflect on the last year and the ups and down I think of Annie and how she taught me to live out loud and because of that I took a big risk and now am loving it. I’m not ready to read it quite yet but Annie was one in a million and you should check out her blog so you too can live out loud and have her change your life.
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” -Mahatma Gandhi
