It’s a recurring theme every time I post anything remotely political and I-think-eloquent on Facebook: someone, generally a conservative-leaning high school classmate, ignores my better points to type in the comments section of my post:
“Sounds like you should leave then.”
It’s frustrating. It’s annoying. It’s a little hurtful. But it’s true: if you’re tired of your situation, you should leave it. At least for a while.
It’s easier than a lot of us may think. Generally, it just takes a little drive and a little bravery. You don’t have to go far.
This past year, something happened that I never thought would. I got unbelievably lucky and got a scholarship to “summer in Paris” if you will, taking lighthearted classes and eating too many baguettes and cheap croissants. It was the best five weeks of my life (so far), but it was such an amazing experience because it was more than a vacation. I tried (and grew to love) new things. I met (and grew to love) new people. I made mistakes, and I adapted to my situations. I lived in a child’s bedroom in a twin bed pressed up against a stranger, in a tiny walkup apartment with a woman who didn’t speak a word of English. I had to figure out metros and airports and foreign currency and a new culture on my own, and it was all okay. In fact, it was better than okay; stepping way out of my comfort zone made me a better, wiser, stronger, more-confident person.
When it came time to return home, I knew that by leaving, I had found a new home somewhere else, and more of a home within myself.
“Leaving” doesn’t have to mean jetting off to Europe to escape your troubles (and the Trump administration). Unless you’re a Kardashian, it’s generally not that glamorous or that easy. But there are other means by which you can leave and grow.
Take a long drive. Leave a stagnant relationship. Take a class. Apply for a new job in a new city. Start meditating. Take time to read that book that’s been gathering dust on your nightstand. Or, start saving up for a vacation and count the days until you’re in France, eating too many baguettes and cheap croissants. No matter what you choose, do it. Learn something. Better yourself. “Leaving” is always an option, you just need to train yourself to know that it is.
Poet Rupi Kaur writes in her bestselling book Milk and Honey: “You deserve to be completely found in your surroundings, not lost in them.”
So, do it. Welcome yourself home. If it takes leaving or growing or changing to do that, just leave already. I promise, once you take that first step out your front door, you’ll just keep going. You won’t regret it.