Slowing down in New York City sounds like an oxymoron, ha, but I do feel like I’m slowing down in life, at least for now. After taking a year and a half hiatus from writing, I’m slowly trying to bring it back into my life again. I’m in a different chapter in my life – living in a new city, no corporate job, teaching Pilates, and finding more free time on my hands than I ever imagined.

Life Without a Corporate Title

Some days I’m still in disbelief that I left my corporate job. Growing up, because my mom worked as a nail technician, her schedule was always dependent on clients. For example, if she had a client who showed up ten minutes before closing, she wouldn’t come home until an hour and a half after the salon closed. As a little girl waiting at home, the uncertainty always made me worry.

Because of this, being part of the corporate world was important to me – I wanted stability, structure, and predictability. For the longest time, having a traditional job was my definition of success. I tied so much of my identity to my career that stepping away from it now feels completely foreign. A part of me still feels like a failure for not having a corporate job.

I was talking to my friend Long a few weeks ago and even though I was working as a Pilates instructor, I kept calling myself unemployed. Long stopped me and said I’m not unemployed – I just don’t have a traditional job. He’s right. I’m working at three Pilates studios. I simply don’t have a corporate job. You really are what you think.

Rebuilding without Repeating

I was so eager to rebuild my schedule again that I almost missed the whole point of moving here. Back in Arizona, I worked 40 hours a week at my corporate job and taught Pilates for about 18 hours a week. With almost a 60-hour work week, I still needed to find time for my own Pilates practice. This left me with little time for friends and family.

It had me thinking – why was I trying to recreate the same routine I had in Arizona? If that’s the life I wanted, I already had it. Clearly, it wasn’t working if I felt the need to move.

New Lifestyle, More Appreciation

In Arizona, I was living by myself in a one-bedroom apartment in a gated community. I had a car with a 10-minute commute to work. Now, I’m living in a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate and sleeping on a twin-size bed. It’s so different going from living alone to sharing a space. On top of that, I only kept about 10% of my stuff from Arizona.

If you know me, you know I’m a sentimental person. I once received a Mickey Mouse mug for Christmas in 2017 from a friend I’m no longer in touch with. I never once used that mug, but I still kept it all these years because it was a gift. Owning fewer things has made life feel simpler, and having less has helped me appreciate things in life more.

Sometimes I sit in my 68-square-foot bedroom and look at everything I own. It’s all here in one place, and somehow, that feels relieving. There’s comfort in knowing exactly what I have and realizing that it’s enough.

Living in a new city, I have more free time and fewer material things – giving me more moments to slow down, reflect, and appreciate. It’s a completely different life, but honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Old Friends in New Chapters

Being in New York, I’ve come to realize how small the world is. I have friends from high school and college that I’ve grown apart from or didn’t leave on the best terms with, but some of them now live in the city too. It’s made me think a lot about timing, growth, and how life has a way of bringing people back around.

My friend Diana recently said something that stuck with me – that I was probably a great friend to them if they decided to reach out. When it comes to friendships, I find it hard to rebuild that trust. If I choose to rebuild those friendships, I know it’ll come with hard conversations, but those are the ones that lead to deeper connections.

On that note, I reconnected with a friend from college who happens to live less than a mile away. Spending time with her feels like I’m back in college again – spontaneous meetups on campus, except now, the city is our campus. It made me realize that if I were still back in Arizona, I would have been so caught up in my old routine and current friendships that I don’t think I would’ve had the time to revisit this friendship.

Moving away from Arizona has made me more intentional with my relationships. I value my conversations more now, and I make it a point to set aside time to catch up with friends. Fewer hours working. Fewer things. Fewer friends – but everything feels more intentional.

Moving Forward

I’m still questioning whether I should go back to the corporate world. On the surface, it feels like I should, but deep down, I know that if I really wanted to, I would’ve already done it. I’ve paused applying for jobs for now. Most of my current interviews are from applications I sent in weeks ago or from recruiters who reached out.

I’m planning a month-long trip to Vietnam in December. If I were still in corporate, I wouldn’t have the flexibility or luxury to take that much time off. Maybe this is the timing I needed. Who knows when I’ll get another chance to take a trip like this?

I don’t have all the answers I’m looking for yet, but I know making this move to New York City and leaving behind the life I knew in Arizona was the right decision.