86

 
Moving van packed with random things.
 
 

The Golden State | ©️ 2017 Alicia Kae Miller

I am writing this nearly seven years to the date I packed up all my belongings and set out for parts unknown. My thinking then is identical to my thinking now: You cannot lose for trying.

For context, I have been bouncing around the USA my entire adult life. Born and raised in Washington State, I spent my 20s in the New York Metropolitan Area. After living in the Big Apple, I returned to the West Coast, residing in Northern California for nearly twenty years until Austin, the self-professed "Live Music Capital of the World," called, so I answered and remain, for now.

Admittedly, when I left the Golden State, it was long overdue. While beautiful, I was not in love with it, and thus, I had not planned on staying in the first place. However, good old fate stepped in and rooted me in the region longer than anticipated. So, when I heard several months ago that a dear one had pulled up stakes on a commitment that had ceased to be committable, I wholly understood and reassured them that while the next chapter in their life story would not be without challenges, walking away from that which no longer serves is by far the most compassionate thing that we can do for ourselves.

Later, while my loved one was unpacking boxes, I received a text suggesting, "Going through boxes and saving good packing paper and boxes." At that moment,

I thought about the importance of stopping to smell the actual and metaphoric flowers in the garden of our lives and how listening to learn is not just the behavior we should engage in with others; more importantly, we should be in steadfast empathy in action practice with the person who matters most: yourself.

Until we meet again, be faithful to the one-of-a-kind you. ❤️

Yours in Solidarity, -akm

July 2024

PS I was a waitress for many years - "86" means an item is no longer available.

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