When I hit publish on my first and last blog post of 2021, I hadn't planned to take a hiatus. From where I am now, I'm not even sure how it happened. As one month turned into the next, life began to take over and I found myself thinking about this little internet space less and less and less.
Fast forward to the start of 2022, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to get back to writing as an outlet as well as for work. So, here we are.
Nearly a year has passed between my last blog post and the post before that, and my life has changed significantly.
So, I thought why not indulge myself in sharing what's happened over the last 12 months.
In September, I moved to London
My relationship came to an end at the end of July last year, however, after three months of long-distance it had felt like a long time coming for both of us.
Immediately after the breakup, I was scheduled to housesit in London. During those two weeks, my friends packed my social calendar to check in and make sure I was doing okay. The pandemic had already shown me how important it is to have a support system close by, but this was another reminder of how those nearest you can step up when you're going through a rough patch.
That fortnight was a blur of wine and dog walking, and when Emily, one of my best friends from school, suggested I look at moving to London, it just felt like a no-brainer.
The majority of my favourite people live in this city, I had no reason to be living at home waiting around anymore, I had a brand new job that allowed me to work 100% remotely, and I could finally afford it without 2/3 of my paycheck being eaten up with rent.
During those two weeks, I scheduled a number of house viewings - including the one I'm sitting in right now. By the first weekend of September, I was on the way to London, and somewhat serendipitously, I moved in a short walk away from Emily's front door.
I now live in a 00s sitcom
At the end of 2020, I wrote about how your twenties aren't going to be a sitcom - and that's okay. Well, two years later I still agree with the sentiment of that piece, but I can also safely say that my life right now feels very much as if someone hit play on a TV series about living in London in your 20s.
Upon moving in with three strangers (also women in their mid-20s), I was hopeful that at the very least we'd share a glass of wine and catch up occasionally. What I didn't expect, was to become best friends. However, three of us went through breakups within a month of each other, and the amount of bonding that happened in my first 6 weeks alone was enough to set us up for life.
From late-night fashion shows to date debriefs to revolving our evenings around Married at First Sight Australia, I struck gold when I moved into this house. After four years of traveling and living abroad, I was excited about living in the same city as my favourite people, so to be living in the same house has been a dream.
Obviously, we have classic house drama - in the last couple of weeks alone we've had to get a new washing machine and had the bathroom leak through the roof of our kitchen. But overall, I'm giving this new life a solid 12/10.
Currently, I'm just really, really happy
There's no cool way of saying it. There are no 'ifs' or 'buts'. Since September last year I truly feel as if I'm the happiest I've ever, ever been.
This is interesting to me for a couple of reasons: the first is that I hadn't realised just how unhappy I was, until all of this change started to take place. The second, is that I don't think I ever thought my happy place would be in the centre of London. Having spent so much of my adult life exploring and living in new cities, the idea of calling London home didn't appeal to me until I started to realise how much I was missing out on.
From celebrating friends' birthdays to popping home for the weekend, knowing there isn't a plane ride between myself and my loved ones is a feeling that can't be underestimated.
Of course, we all wonder if we're missing out on other things, but I know if I was off doing that, I'd be missing out on here.
I love my Sunday farmers' market and my walk through the dog park. And I love that my best friend lives around the corner, and we can work from home spontaneously. I love that I can jump on a plane and go on holiday in Europe for as much as it costs to get home by train, and I love that not a day goes by where I forget how incredibly lucky I am to be this happy.
What a life, hey.
Love, Alice x
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