So You Wanna Be an Independent Woman?

     Two and a half years ago I moved to Tucson, AZ at the ripe age of 21. It was my first time not living with my parents, and I made the executive (dumb) decision to live alone. Living alone would be great right?! Having my own space, not having to worry about who's turn it was to buy toilet paper, or worry about someone eating my yogurt, but truth be told, I was lonely. So lonely. I was depressed, and everyday was a struggle. My dad came down to say with me for a little bit, just to help, which it did, but as soon as he left I fell back into my funk. The glamorous single-girl life I had planned for myself in my new city was slowly crumbling apart.
   
Sidebar here are interesting facts about me.
 I am:
              1. overly dramatic (thanks childhood love of theatrical arts!)
              2. very impatient
              3. bullheaded (thanks Scottish heritage!)

     With that being said lets take another look at my transition to The Old Pueblo. Yes, moving is hard, and yes it can be lonely at times, but everything just takes time. When I moved down here I expected to have friendships like the ones I had up in Prescott, forget the fact that I had know most my friends upwards of five years....I expected my life to just fall into place, and everything would be hunky-dory! I have a tendency to move fast, and expect others to keep the same pace as me, but that seldom the case. I don't know what it is, maybe it's cause I'm a Cancer (astrology?) or maybe it's just a trait that is hardwired into my DNA, but I expect to have one conversation with people, and just expect them to want to BFFS and braid each others hair and get matching tattoos. I've burned many a bridge, for reason I'm not even sure why. I'll feel betrayed or abandoned all because someone was working all day and couldn't get fro-yo with me. This ,and many other things, are something that I'm hoping to fix. Try to be empathetic, try to slow things down, try being the operable. Since my mini-breakdown I've made some really good friends. We go to bars, we have inside jokes, just like real friends, hmmm whodathunk! Sure we may not have know each other since 8th grade, but these are still lasting friendships. I've found my crowd, my clique, my pack, and now I can't imagine living my life in any other way.
     So cheers to striking out on my own when I was ill-equipped, and cheers to making it out on the other side!