I’m almost 2 months into living in my new bachelorette pad in Brooklyn and it has been jam packed with fun-filled and unexpected adventures. The beauty of living in New York City is that you just never know what may be waiting for you around the corner. I love walking the streets and discovering new restaurants, shops and random street art everywhere I turn. I encountered this beautiful work of art displayed on the wall of a building one day as I was running some errands in my new hood. I try to pay attention when I walk and not be on my phone because you just never know what you might see or who you might meet. I honestly would not have taken notice of this sign had the gentleman in front of me not stopped to capture a photo with his nice camera. I stopped too and took this on my iPhone, and it contains such a powerful message that I wanted to share with all of you. At first glance you may not see it, but look closely and the words will come together.
No matter how scary it may seem, we all must find the courage within to overcome our fears and live the life we were meant to live. I have made some major life decisions over the past 9 months and I am proud to say I do not regret a single one. I used to think long and hard about these things and envision myself making changes so that I could find happiness again. It scared the shit out of me but I finally am at peace with where I am in my life, and that’s all that matters. There have been many bumps in the road and at times I have been more scared than ever of what tomorrow may hold, but I have trusted my gut and moved forward in ways I never thought would be possible. This has enabled me to meet new people and build upon relationships I may have been scared of before. LIVING WITHOUT FEAR has enabled me to create memories that I will look back on years from now with nothing but smiles and laughter. I started letting new people in, despite my trust issues and overall cautious nature. This has enabled me to experience things I never would have been able to before and has made me wiser and more comfortable in my own skin.
February came quick as I continued my quest to eat the best foods and have the most fun that Brooklyn has to offer. I have made many new friends during my short time here, one of which is into astrology and told me some very exciting things of what’s to come and so far each one of those things has held true. He is also a Brooklynite that has given me great recommendations on all of the places I need to go around here, and also someone I can call and chat with, whether it’s to freak out over seeing my first cockroach and rat on the street (inevitable considering where I live, but scared the crap out of me nonetheless) or just to chat about life in general. He always has a positive word and a smile and sometimes that’s all you need to turn your day around. I was also given the chance to reconnect with someone I truly missed having in my life, and that experience taught me so much about myself and the things that make me happy, which is very different from what they used to be. In addition to my beautiful tribe of sisters, girlfriends, aunts and cousins that I’m so lucky to be surrounded by, for their love and support has gotten me through countless days and nights of feeling lost, I have also made several new girlfriends that I can call to grab dinner or drinks with, or to talk about the single life in NYC (an adventure in and of itself). My guy friends, new and old, have also been a tremendous support system for me, in ways some of them may not even know. Whether it’s advice I ask of them or just talking to me from a guy’s point of view, those conversations have become some of my favorites and I look forward to the time I get to spend with each one of them.
I am so grateful to each of you, for challenging me to open my mind and my heart again and overcome so many fears I once had. This newfound strength inside me has enabled me to build upon relationships that have helped make each day brighter. I thank each one of you for the love and light you have brought into my life at a time when I needed it most, whether it was a simple text, phone call or FaceTime; a sweet and unexpected gesture; a night full of laughs or an unexpected visit – each one of these moments reinforced all of the reasons I decided to take a leap of faith and move to a new city to truly start fresh and build a new life. None of these things would have happened if I had allowed my fears of the unknown to win. I would have stayed complacent and unhappy in my old life. Although these decisions have not been easy and my heart is still heavy thinking about the way things used to be, I overcame my fears and have written some fabulous new pages in this next chapter of my life. I have learned that the things that scare you the most usually reward you in ways you never dreamed were possible. I encourage you all to tackle the things that scare you, find what truly makes you happy, and live each day to make those dreams a reality. Living Without Fear is the only way to live.
XoX,
Avril