FRIENDS!!!
I havenāt written to yaāll in a solid month and a half ā if you follow me on the āgram though, youāll surely know why. āTis the summer season of fun, and in the midst of music festivals, spontaneous exploration, and food upon food turning me into a foodie (who is she?!), itās been hard carving time to sit down and just⦠write.
Iāve missed this stillness, and am so happy to be back, just as happy as I was in the chaos of being always on-the-go. Balance. ;)
Today, let me share with you my take on moving to a new city ā and why it can absolutely, totally, utterly transform you.
(Iāve only been in Toronto 2 months, but hear me out.)
(Also, I was catching up with a friend via call the other day, and I think I convinced him to move to Europe for the same reasons hehe.)
As much moving cities isnāt a magic fix, we canāt discount the massive influence of our external environment ā not just of our home, but also the people in proximity, places we go, things we do, routines we follow. Moving to a new city is the surefire way to disrupt status quo.
I like to think of us as avatars. Not the blue people. Like, imagine life is a video game, and āyour humanā is your avatar you get to choose the adventure for.
When you plot your avatar in a brand new environment, theyāre going to have to rebuild from scratch. It comes with stress, uncertainty, and a load of unknowns, but thatās the whole point ā youāre no longer following your old subconscious program, and have to rebuild.
Beyond finding new fav spots, making new routines, and total physical readjustment, youāre also free from the expectations that people in your old space had placed on you, which inevitably influence your self-perception ā whether youāre conscious of it or not.
Whatever perception/identity your friends and family hold of you, will continue to self-fulfill until you choose to create a new one.
Also, if you were playing a video game, isnāt putting your avatar through such situations the only way to truly level up? So why not do it in real life?
ā
Hereās an impromptu reflection on what Iāve experiencedā¦
I love my Vancouver self, and am still just as much her as I am Toronto me ā but being in Toronto unveiled parts of me that Vancouver Meg couldnāt have predicted.
Moving out, and absolutely loving the āmundaneā of groceries, cooking, cleaning, self-care, quiet nights alone. Finding joy in fine dining, in contrast to Vancouver Megās āIām not a foodie and never will beā mindset. Being more materialistic (city girl things) ā not in a bad way, but rather as a means to treat myself with love: nice clothes, hair care, and shoes (not Vessis for once!) that are cute both in-office and on the streets. Getting comfy with meeting new like-minded people I have absolutely no mutual friends with (huh?!). Healing my relationship with food (no more restriction) and exercise (no more obsession), by way of just going with the flow and learning I could trust my body all along. Embracing even more of an āI donāt give a f*ckā mindset in how I show up (and I mean in an authentic empowering way), because people here are simply jarringly REAL (people pleaser who?!), and itās a much more freeing way to live.
Most importantly, unlocking newfound self-respect, self-love, and self-confidence, as a compound of everything these past two months have taught me. All a bit tough to put into words, yet the shift is evident.
ā¦and itās only been two months.
So⦠have I convinced you yet? ;)
P.S. goes without saying ā no amount of external change can replace the internal work required to make meaningful change in the first place. So journal! Go to therapy! Meditate! Self-reflect! Do the inner work. External is never the only solution.
(Also, Iām back in Van for the Winter, but in Tor again next Spring⦠just tryna milk the best of both worlds, both city-wise and identity-wise LOL)
Love from Towono,
Meg
šµ Megās Weeklies
Keeping up with the Kardashians Megatron, through my weekly gems!
Podcast Iām listening to:
Article Iām reading:
Lessons learned from untangling necklaces
Quote Iām pondering:
āWe underestimate the power of choice, our power to suddenly wake up one day bored of our own bullshit and decide to do things differently.ā āSaskia Lightstar
Raw life update:
Short nā simple, because tbh, my Instagram posts/stories/highlights do be showing most of itā¦
Summer in Toronto is a blast. CNE, beach days, food fests, rooftops, clubbing, meeting new people!
I decided to put my condo up for rental come October, because ya girl needs that $$$. Plus, I need my winters in Van with my homies. Maybe Iāll experience Toronto Winter one day⦠but not this year.
Iāve learned so many new recipes at home, and can now āwhip up whateverās in the fridgeā ā finna make my momma proud :ā)
And of course, I hope to write to yaāll more frequently again. :)
Check out my latest podcast episode:
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