Coping Skills

A week has passed and it seems as if life is settling in. I suppose my ability to adjust and adapt has improved since my younger years, because I feel relatively calm (for now). Change has always been something that induces emotional strain within myself and I greatly feared weeks of feeling insecure out of place.

But here, it feels different. I suppose there are many factors as to why Salt Lake City has been less challenging. First off, I'm not a child...my folks moved around quite a bit due to my Dad's job and as a child I obviously didn't have the coping skills an adult should have. I suffered from anxiety, fear, inferiority and loneliness.

Secondly, I'm not newly married. When Matt & I moved to Cincinnati, we had been married for a month and to be honest we hadn't dated all that long either (1 year, in case you're wondering). I had many things to learn about myself, living with a dude, being married and being alone in a new town.

Thirdly (and probably most importantly), I had a baby. Having a baby changes a person in a way that is difficult to describe and mostly changed me to be a more flexible person. I think outside of the box more often, and force myself to cope with uncomfortable situations in a functional way (most of the time). Life must go on, even if I'm not feeling super secure or confident.

I feel as if my experience here in Salt Lake City, thus far, as been very positive and though we have not-so-awesome moments (like when a bag of groceries exploded in the parking lot of our apartment, and I had Lucas on my hip), they're just part of life. Every day life. They're opportunities for me to learn more about myself and how to deal.

*It also helps greatly, that Salt Lake City is the kindest city I've ever been in. The people here are generous with their smiles and never miss an opportunity to say hello.

This is the view from the rooftop garden at our current apartment