In an ode to 28, I’ve published two posts that I think pick up where I am right now in my life. The one below is the lighter one. If it feels like I wrote it while listening to Taylor Swift’s “Long Story Short”, well, it’s because I did. It gives you a snapshot of where and how I’m trying to build most of my days.

This essay on Medium is the same but different. It speaks more to all the work I need to put in to get to a place where I can even write things like the below.

Our decision to move to Portland happened in between seasons. The days were getting warmer in New York City and by the second our space was slowly losing square footage to breathe. I’ve written about it before, but even though I knew that leaving NYC for a bit was in our future, I didn’t think Portland or 2020 were the when and the where. This move took us by surprise, but it also set me straight.

I knew it the moment we touched down at PDX and I saw all the green. It felt refreshing and revitalizing. On our drive into downtown, the roads were lined with trees that were so much bigger than I will ever be. I visited Columbus, Ohio once and loved it because when I stood amidst pine trees I felt human. I felt the most myself I’d felt up until then. The last few days, it’s been like I’m revisiting that feeling and also like I’m learning to keep it. Where New York makes you strive to be the biggest, shiniest human to ever be encountered, Portland humbles you in understanding that while you’re meant to grow, it’s also true that there will always be a tree that’s bigger than you and that’s okay.