Aloha 'oe Hawaii
About two months ago, I was struggling to figure out a plan. My fall had consisted of applying to internships, various nannying positions and wondering when everything would finally fall into place. When I began to think about the holidays, I knew that I wanted to head home. After four months of go-go-go, I craved the comforts of our little beach shack tucked away in Kailua.
Every day in New York City is an adventure searching for familiarity in various backstreets. But sometimes, I missed the simplicity of being in a place and automatically feeling at ease. As cheesy as it sounds, there's nothing I wanted more than take long walks along the shoreline at dusk and wake up to the scent of damp ocean air.
Lucky for me, I was able to cash in on the one benefit of still being in the middle of the post-grad job scramble: an extended Christmas vacation. I took the direct flight back to Hawaii on the 11th and spent the past month embracing the warmth (and my dog).
Ultimately, Hawaii has been the escape I needed. I traded in scarves for sunscreen and the never ending rush of city sidewalks for empty stretches of sand. Each day back in Hawaii has reminded me of how wonderful it is to live in my little piece of paradise. But more importantly, removing myself from the stress of New York finally allowed me to put everything into perspective. Yes, relocating to New York was a little insane. But it was also one of the best decisions I have ever made.
A few days after this realization, some even bigger news came my way.
About two weeks after my last post (two months ago...yikes!), I decided to really commit to searching for a position in the journalism industry. I truly missed writing and craved daily interaction with someone over the age of nine (as you read). During the search, I stumbled across an internship that felt like a true opportunity (and a dream). I applied, but also felt at peace knowing that there would be an influx of packed resumes.
A few weeks ago, I accepted the same position.
Hopefully, I now have you on the edge of your seat (but let's be real my Facebook post will probably reveal what's going on long before this post does). My return to New York City in January will be accompanied by a full-time internship at Cosmopolitan.com. Needless to say, I am ecstatic. THRILLED. And of course, freaking out.
When I decided to pursue journalism almost six years ago, I never thought my dream would actually go this far. I didn't think I would ever have a byline let alone a cover story. To say that I'll be interning at the website of a Hearst publication next year is unbelievable. To say that it will be Cosmo is incredible and overwhelming.
Sometimes life really does have a way of working itself out.