[Above: Part of an anniversary card that I gave my husband, Ben, on our 1 year anniversary yesterday.] I have a *BIG* announcement to make today. And if the post title and image above didn't give it away, here it is: Ben and I are moving. Out of state. To Cape Cod, Massachusetts. On November 2nd. [I know!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!] I wanted to get the announcement off of my chest right away, because it's been weighing on me and I've been dying to tell you all. But, now that I've written it, here's the backstory: When he graduated from Law School in 2009, Ben's dream was to work as a criminal prosecutor for a District Attorney's office. However, the economy was a mess, many state governments were on hiring freezes, and while in the process of interviewing for the position he really wanted, he was offered a super stable job as a Government Contracts attorney. It would have been stupid for him to turn it down, so he took it, and we moved to DC. Fast forward 4 years later, and Ben is still working as a Government Contracts attorney. While he has developed some unique skills and learned a lot, he has missed out on getting any courtroom experience--his true passion and the reason that he became a lawyer in the first place--and he's spent the past 4 years wanting a bit more from his work. [You know how I'm always talking about following your dreams here on the blog? And how I've said that sometimes, you just have to "take the leap and build your wings on the way down"? Well, that's what Ben has done this year, and I couldn't be more proud of him.] In January, Ben decided that he wanted to leave the security of a Federal Government job behind, and pursue his original goal of becoming a criminal prosecutor. He could imagine no better place to do this than on Cape Cod, where he grew up and where we have talked about eventually settling down, so he started studying for the Massachusetts Bar Exam (while working full-time!). He was pretty insane for many months, but he made the commitment and stuck to it. He took the exam in July, and shortly before he took it, a position opened up (seemingly out of nowhere!) in the Cape & Islands D.A.'s office. Ben applied for it, and 3 interviews, 15+ candidates, 3 trips to the Cape, and almost 4 months later, he was offered the job last week. Ben has been an amazing support system for me over the past 4 years, as I've transitioned out of a "normal" career and into a life of teaching, painting, and blogging, and there's no way that I would have been able to follow my dreams without him. So, even though it's going to be somewhat difficult, I'm super excited to be able to provide the same support for him now. [Because that's how relationships work, right?] BUT. To say that we agonized over this decision for the past 4 months is an understatement. In fact, we started agonizing over this decision as soon as he decide to take the Bar Exam, and I would say that this has been the hardest decision that we've ever made as a couple (and one of the hardest decisions I've ever made in my life!). Why? Well, for many reasons, but mostly because of my sadness over the thought of leaving my yoga hOMe, Tranquil Space. If you haven't picked up on it from reading the blog (and you probably have), Tranquil Space has changed my life over the past 4 years--and I mean, completely changed. In fact, if it wasn't for Tranquil Space and all of the people that I've met through the studio, I would be fine with moving. But, the thought of leaving this community makes me want to collapse on the floor, sobbing, and refuse to leave. I love it that much. If I've seemed a little off over the past few weeks, it's probably because I have been dealing with SO MANY conflicting emotions: I'm excited about a new adventure, but I'm devastated/heartbroken about leaving. I'm super nervous about trying to break into a new yoga community, about starting over, about the prospect of failing, but I'm also somewhat thrilled by the challenge. I'm glad that we'll be moving closer to Ben's family (most of them live on the Cape!), but I'm sad that we'll be moving farther away from my family. I'm really happy for Ben and am looking forward to settling down in a place with a slower pace, but I'm also afraid that I'll lose my mind there, that the silence will be deafening, that I'll feel completely isolated. See? A roller coaster of emotions. Change is just SO scary. I've basically only lived in big cities throughout my life (besides college, which doesn't really count because I was in SUCH a little college bubble), so living in a small, seasonal community will be a huge adjustment. I've never really experienced harsh winters, so that will be new, and I don't have a job there, so that will be crazy. But, I'm trying to just trust that things will work out. What will I do there? Well, hopefully what I'm doing here--blogging, painting, and teaching yoga--but if things don't work out exactly as I hope, I'm going to try and go with the flow. Through yoga I have learned that the only constant is change, that I can breathe through anything, and that dealing with non-attachment is a part of life. So, that's what I'm going to attempt to do. I have so much more that I could say about this move, but seeing as though this is already a crazy long post, I'll stop for now. I'm sure I'll be sharing lots more as this process continues over the next few weeks (we only have a few weeks to pack up our entire lives and move to another state!), but to all of my students and fellow Tranquil Spacers, I am going to miss you more than I could ever write in a post. Thank you for making this place SO hard to leave. I am eternally grateful that I moved to DC four years ago (a move that I didn't want to make in the first place!), and I can't begin to explain how much the TS yoga community has meant to me. To all of my readers: Thank gawd that I have you guys. I would be a lot more scared of the isolation/loneliness factor of this move if I didn't have this online community! Thank you, thank you, thank you. PS. I forgot to mention that I'll continue teaching all of my regularly-scheduled classes and workshops right up until November 1st. I've decided to go out with a bang, so my last class at TSA will be Hip Hop Yoga on 11/1 (Woohoo! I can't imagine a more wonderful last class). You can also catch one last seasonal restorative yoga workshop at TSA this Saturday. So, we have many chances to see each other before I finally bid adieu... ;)
Lauren
10/6/2013 10:43:53 pm
I'm so, so sad to see you go but excited for your next adventure! My husband and I are thinking about making the leap from DC to somewhere closer to our family in 2014 (after 13 years in DC!) so I hope you'll continue to write more about this process and the emotions involved. TS would be so hard for me to leave as well! Good luck with everything!!
Mary Catherine
10/7/2013 09:54:32 pm
Oh wow, Lauren! That's crazy! Keep me posted on what you decide...I'll definitely share more about the process as it unfolds! xoxo
Kristy
10/6/2013 11:53:53 pm
Good luck and congrats to Ben!
Tracy
10/7/2013 01:01:56 am
I am so sad to hear this but also happy for you guys! Am certain you will thrive where ever you go. I will really miss your classes... you are my favorite yoga teacher ever and the Cape Cod yogis will be lucky to have you in the community. Looking forward to following your journey on your blog and on Facebook.
Marjorie
10/7/2013 01:35:29 am
What a day I chose to come looking for a MC playlist! WOW, thank you for sharing with such an outpouring of honesty and compassion. I love the way you and Ben support each other in your big dreams even though it happens at different times and creates big decision points and all the related emotions in the process. Congratulations on working through it together and for landing in a place of creativity and excited, reluctant acceptance. Funny how the 'opposites' work in tandem sometimes...I echo everyone's big "you are so inspiring and will be sooooooo missed!" and I am looking forward to watching your artistic self thrive on the Cape! xoxo
Alanna
10/7/2013 03:24:23 am
We'll all miss you dearly, but can't wait to hear about your new life in MA! New adventures and friendships await! I know you'll settle in and find a new community of devoted yogis up there, as well as new inspiration for your painting and blogging. And if you ever miss DC, we'll all still be here, and would love to hear from you anytime! Good luck with the move!
Kimba
10/7/2013 03:56:02 am
MC, you will be missed terribly! First you left us at Dupont, now you're leaving for good. It's hard to imagine Tranquil Space without you. But congratulations and best of luck for the big move. It's a wonderful part of the country and you'll have family close by to support you both. It's important that you support each other in your dreams, and I hope Ben knows what a treasure you are in doing exactly that! I hope Cape Cod's yogis know how lucky they are too.
Kelly
10/7/2013 04:13:26 am
Congratulations on such an exciting move! But, I am throwing myself a mini pity party - your Tuesday night classes are such a joy and motivated me to get back to my mat on a regular basis. I can see I'm not alone - maybe TS will have you back for some guest workshops? :) Best of luck with these next few weeks and the move!
Mary Catherine
10/7/2013 09:55:44 pm
Thank you all SO much for the heartwarming comments! I will miss seeing each of your sweet faces on the mat every week...
Catherine
10/10/2013 01:00:34 pm
This is so exciting for you all but so sad for us yogis that love coming to your classes and being a part of your daily life - a new crop of people are lucky to be meeting you soon!
Jackie
10/12/2013 06:20:46 am
Wow! What an exciting transition! I live in Boston--but our entire little state has some amazing yoga opportunities--and there are some great studios on the Cape. Check out Power Yoga of Cape Cod, which just opened up a new location in Dennisport. It is a really welcoming place. Best of luck to you!!
Erin
10/13/2013 10:55:09 am
MC - I somehow missed this announcement and found out about your big news this morning on our Arlington-to-TT2 carpool from Kayla and Imke... and after a few hours of shock and, I'll be honest, a little (lot of!) heartbreak, I am so excited for you and Ben in your new adventure! To say that you have had a positive impact on my life (and really, truly, molded my yoga journey - probably more than you know!) would be an understatement. I am so grateful to have found TSA and had the pleasure of taking your classes and sharing your energy over the past few years! Needless to say, I'll be packing in as many classes as I can over October for sure!
Julia Gatti
10/21/2013 06:31:13 am
Such exciting and scary (but in the best way possible) news for you guys! TS won't be the same without you but next time I'm in the Cape, I'm looking up wherever you're teaching :) Comments are closed.
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HELLO!I'm Mary Catherine, a Cape Cod-based yoga teacher, painter, designer, writer, mom, and list-maker extraordinaire. My goal is to inspire you to start living a more creative, simple, joyful, + purposeful life.
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