I was having a long overdue dinner with K last night when I suddenly realized that as of last week, I have now lived in Chicago for 4 years! In some ways it feels like so much longer and in other ways it seems like it was only yesterday. As much as I often miss California and dear friends there, Chicago is very much home right now. I have found a community here where I can be known to others and can know them. Since I moved here I have:
- Lived in 4 different apartments
- Started working for a different organization than I moved here for
- Have been baptized in Lake Michigan
- Served as an elder of a church during a very difficult time of transition
- Learned where to find the best bar food deals every night of the week
- Somehow become a fan of the Cubs
- Learned that it is possible to function without driving everywhere I go and that taking a bus is perfectly acceptable
- Felt some of the most intense loneliness of my life
- Gotten past that loneliness and been able to help others with the same feelings
- Have spent more time talking about the weather than ever
- Uttered the words 'oh good, it's warm enough to snow now'
The list could go on, but you get the picture. The last 4 years have been good. There are things in my life that I wish were different (cough, I'm still single, cough) and there are ways that I want to improve myself personally. But, I'm on the right track and have learned to give myself some grace in life. I have no idea what the future holds. I don't know how much longer I will live in this city. I don't know what the next steps in my career are going to be. But, I know that 4 years ago I moved to a new city and started over and have become a better person for it.
