I did it. I actually moved to Austin.

Sitting with my morning coffee, staring outside my window and looking towards my apartment complex, the thought occurs to me that I actually did it. I actually moved to Austin. Relocating is something I was called to do many years ago. Now that it’s happened, things have moved so fast that it almost seems unreal for me to be living my life in a whole different state. But I did it, my vision came true and now I’m here.

Austin had been calling me for some time, mainly because there’s someone special to me that lives here. But it wasn’t my first choice. The intent to relocate wasn’t about moving for another person, it was about me and what I was hoping to achieve by leaving my hometown. In Miami, I just wasn’t getting the traction I felt I needed to really set myself up for a successful life and career in writing. Looking back, all of those experiences certainly helped me, but staying there was out of the question. I needed to immerse myself in another environment, even if only temporarily.

So, my energy went to the two other locations that had been calling me: Los Angeles and New York City. As cliché as it might sound for me to want to move there, there is a reason so many people move to either. Opportunities abound for those in my industry. I also had visited both locations and loved the way I felt. But it was time to see how much they loved me in return.

Three years ago, when I became more serious about moving, I “put out feelers,” so to speak. I started talking about where I wanted to move and brainstorming how I would actually get there, since I didn’t really have a savings account to go off of. In discussing it with my dad, who had previously lived in New Jersey to work on a house over there, it seemed like he could help me find an affordable place to live with some known and trusted friends nearby. My mother was not having it, though. My parents’ permission wasn’t needed, but, at the time, I was affected greatly by their thoughts and opinions about my decision to move. I was, after all, not trying to damage my relationship with them in any way. So that was already in the back of my mind.

I then went to a conference and spoke with one of the other guests there. I happened to mention my desire to move and, when she asked me where I was thinking of going, I ended up blurting out “New York. Or Austin.” Austin may not have been my first choice, but I couldn’t deny that it was a consideration in my heart. She immediately told me about how difficult it was to live in Manhattan, having had her daughters currently living there, both with plenty of wealth and still struggling. She also told me that things were changing in New York. Her opinion was just one, but I took it as a sign. Especially when, before leaving, she leaned in and said, “Good luck in Austin.”

I ended up not moving that year. There’s a narrative that’s missing here, underlining the choices I made, but I will briefly share the three main events that altered my course. For one, when I had wanted to visit Austin for Spring Break, to see my friend and see what the city had for me, the opportunity and funds to plan such a trip didn’t happen. I was then offered a writing opportunity where I didn’t need to move. I was referred to a publisher from New York and, when I called to ask for an editing job, I ended up with a book deal instead (much better!). It was a project I could work on from anywhere. And then, finally, some new influences entered my personal life and I put my plan on pause.

But the call to move didn’t go away. I kept bringing it up in conversation. Because that’s the thing, when I really want something, and it feels like a pull more than just a desire on a whim, I can’t keep it to myself for long. It will come out eventually.

Struggling and dissatisfied with the way things were looking in my life, I knew that it was “now or never.” I was still called to those three locations. So, I put out those feelers again. This time, my close friend, Erica, was living in Austin. She had recently moved there and was doing really well for herself. And, as if she could read my mind, she one day wrote me on Instagram and told me to “Come to Austin.” I reached out to her and we ended up speaking for hours on the phone about it. I told her about my intentions and, needless to say, the conversation was informative. Again, I received not-so-enticing information about NY. About LA, either. Which was disappointing, considering the amount of jobs that I saw online were open in both. But I knew, like she knew, that it wasn’t just about a job for me. She had known me long enough to know the type of person that I am and what I’m really looking for: true connection and beautiful energy. And, apparently, Austin had it.

Soon after that, though a little hesitant, I told my dad about my intentions of moving, how I was thinking about it again. This time, I mentioned that Erica, whom he’d met years prior, was living there and so I was thinking about Austin as an option. I also mentioned that I was still thinking about NY and LA, too, but that I wanted to see Texas first. He thought it was a great idea, a much better one to him than the other two. He proceeded to tell my mom and, to my surprise, she liked the idea a lot. Say what I will about my mom, she knew how difficult things were for me and how long I had been wanting to move. I guess she figured it was “now or never,” too. It really was as good a time as any to make this decision.

Next thing I knew, I was in town for the weekend. I came back home and proceeded to sign a lease a couple of months from then. The plan to move was official.

And now, I’m here.

The rate at which I have grown since moving here has been intense. But it comes as no surprise to me. I needed this shift. It had clearly been in the works for a long time and was finally set up in a way for me to no longer be able to deny it. I was meant to come here.

So much has happened and I can’t wait to share that part of the story. The narrative that’s missing in between these lines is important. This post, is the introduction.

Will I stay here long? Probably not. But I am grateful to be here. I still feel the energy of my hometown, but it’s no longer a burden. I can appreciate where I’m from, and the family that I love, while now having the space to move freely on my own.

And it’s just the beginning.