Even though I love the holiday season, and I mean, I REALLY love it, the actual holidays themselves bring about a lot of loneliness for me; being a Jewish, single, only child, I've always felt a bit jealous of my friends "going home" for the holidays. It's like the little baby Erica in me just wants to go around asking people, can I come, too? Can I be with your family? I'm really fun to be around. But I'm not that little girl, anymore. I can make my own family vacation as a family of one...and this year, that's exactly what I'm doing!
I'm going to Austin!
I've never been to Austin, or Texas for that matter, but I've heard nothing but amazing things. I'm flying into San Antonio, where my friend (who lives there) and I were going to drive to Austin together, and stay for the week. Unfortunately, her schedule has changed, so I'll be making the drive to Austin solo. (This is a good time to recall my blog about honoring commitments, even when people cancel, ESPECIALLY when the commitment is to yourself.)
I'm really stepping outside my comfort zone here, friends. I've never rented a car, driven long distance in a foreign state, stayed in a stranger's home (airbnb) or wandered around a strange city alone. Btw, my Mother is freaking out about this--begging me to text her, like, every 10 minutes. I'll text her every 5 mins and see how long she lasts, before she tells me to stop. I mean, I don't want her to worry ;-)
So...long, fluffy story short, I'm feeling excited, yet anxious and nervous. As independent as I am, I feel like this is the night before the 1st day of Kindergarten. I don't know what to expect. Will the kids at the San Antonio car rental place be nice to me? Will my airbnb host be friendly? Warm? Nurturing? Is she supposed to be? It's Texas. Does she have a gun? You'd think I'm leaving the country for 3 months, instead of leaving the state for 4 days. Get it together, Jacobs.
Are you with me? For those of you who are thinking of embarking on a solo journey, at some point, (and by solo journey, I mean, living your life each day) I wanna show you the things I pack in my purse to keep me sane, calm, present, grateful and joyful, wherever I am...
(according to the fda, i can't tell you, here on the blog, the brand of essential oils i personally use. but what i can do is send you a follow up email, letting you know my personal recommendation. just ask here!)
At the end of the day, the idea of traipsing around Downtown Austin, eating amazing food, doing Yoga, taking amazing, "Instagram-worthy" pics (hey, just being honest), meeting my future husband a lot of nice people, and enjoying Thanksgiving, wherever I end up, sounds like holiday heaven to me...as long as I don't leave my purse behind.
Happy Thanksgiving week, friends!
