May marked seven years of blogging for me. Seven! I went back and read my first post the other day and had a good laugh.
So much has changed in my life since I shared those words. I was 21 at the time, interning for Atlanta magazine, living in Emory summer housing. I felt far from my sweet family and Indiana friends, but was falling in love with Atlanta at the same time.
My internship was unpaid and I remember calling my mom when my blow dryer broke. I cried and told her that making no money wasn’t fun. I look back on it now and am so grateful for that summer, when I couldn’t afford to replace my blow dryer and would cry on days I had to pay $5 to park because the Mart took over the city. On those nights when I’d choose froyo over dinner because I couldn’t afford both.
Chris laughs now because I have a whole host of budget hacks in Atlanta – things to do for free and ways adventure cheaper.
Those early days when you really don’t know if you’re going to make it to your next paycheck shape you and teach you to hustle and I couldn’t be more grateful for them now.
I also spent a lot of time alone that summer. I started dating someone pretty seriously, but I still had a lot of time in the evenings, when I’d go for walks solo, just soaking in the people and the fabric of Atlanta. I’d call all of my friends every night. Most of them were interning in new cities, too. We’d share tales of what we were learning and always end with how excited we were for August, when we’d be back at school for senior year.
That first summer here shaped my heart and, honestly, shaped a huge part of my future, as I sit here in this happy, humid city today. As I read that first post, I couldn’t help but smile because, a lot has changed, but, the thing that has stayed the same is that this little space on the internet is still where I come to be heard. It’s often the first place I process and main place I share.
And, after seven years, I couldn’t be more grateful for all of you who come back here to read, day after day.
For those of you who have been here since the beginning (hi, mom & dad!), I know it has changed a lot. Thank you for giving me the grace to not only let my blog change, but also let me change throughout my 20s.
I think we can do a lot to support one another in this crazy decade and one of the biggest things is letting one another grow into new and different people.
So thank you. For listening. For letting me change. And for reading my words each and every day over the last seven years. Your support means the world to me.