My 23rd year started with a big goal to purchase a home in San Francisco. I had been planning for this milestone since I was 18, and actually predicted (or hoped) it would happen by age 22\/23. By this time last year, I was deep into the house hunt and had been analyzing the market for months. Despite the winter slowdown in inventory, I pushed forward with the search and finally in late January, closed on my first duplex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The next month, I worked feverishly to place a tenant in my property to minimize vacancy costs. Fortunately, that was completed before March, at which point, I was ready to relax. Little did I know the pandemic that was looming ahead. The initial months of quarantine were uncertain, but I didn\u2019t mind having more time to myself. I started baking again, read books that have been on my shelf for years, (re)started this blog, and picked up knitting (my favorite hobby at the moment!!). I spent more time with my parents, my sister, and eventually a few good friends every week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the world changed and shifted around me, so did my perspective on what was considered \u201cnormal\u201d. I began to reflect more on life, my purpose here, and my goals. I\u2019ve already shared some of these initial thoughts, such as the reality of death<\/a> and the direction of our society<\/a>. These ideas have been developing in my head for a few years now, but this time around, they struck a chord with me. I felt inspired to act in alignment with these thoughts and that\u2019s how, in mid-September, I bought a one-way ticket to the middle of nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The middle of nowhere ended up being Utah. I spent 3 weeks in the north and south – hiking, working remotely, breathing in the fresh air, and clearing my mind. We did a week-long national park tour, hitting all the Utah National Parks and even one in Nevada. After that, I spent four weeks in Prescott, Arizona, exploring nearby red rock formations, canyons, and scorching deserts. My journey then took me east to Boston. The weather has been so chaotic since I arrived – rainy, first snowfall in October, gusty winds, and back to fall weather – but I\u2019ve been enjoying the city life again. It\u2019s been a whirlwind ever since I started this adventure, and there’s no telling what’s next. I’m still in Boston, with no return flight set and uncertain plans beyond this coming weekend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wow. A year ago, I never would\u2019ve imagined that I\u2019d be fulfilling my dream of being a nomad, leaving it all, working remotely, and traveling on my own. My courage to take this leap came from nights of pondering life and what I want out of it, so I\u2019m grateful for those deep, insightful evenings. I feel like this year has been my busiest year ever, and how ironic that it happened during a global pandemic. But perhaps that is life – increasingly complex as the years go by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankful for a wonderful 23.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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