Since moving to my new home on the East Coast on April 30, 2021, I have both intentionally and unintentionally had to get out of my comfort zone. Sometimes that has been in small, almost unsubstantial moments and other times it has taken a lot of courage. Having moved a lot in my life, I am fairly accustomed to the process of making new friends and learning the lay of the land in a new area. However, some things that make this this transition more unique is that I am a full grown adult (most of the time :)), and that neither my family or friends are here doing it with me. (I would not say that I am "here alone" because I am part of a team and they have been taking such good care of me. However, they are relatively all new to me and it takes time to get to know each other.) With that as background information, this is how my transition has been going so far!
In order to help me celebrate the big and little victories of this transition, I have been writing down how I have been brave each day.
Something Brave a Day
30 April 2021 (Friday)
- Arrived and moved my stuff into my new house!
- Met my team (in person)! :)
1 May 2021 (Saturday)
- Signed a year-long lease (it's a very scary concept to be tied down for a year to a girl who moved every 9-12 months for most of her life, especially in the last 5 years!)
- Visited the housing area where most of the community I'll be working with lives
- Went shopping for household supplies
2 May 2021 (Sunday)
- Went to church by myself
- Visited a coffee shop by myself (in order to use their internet :))
- Bought internet online
- Went exploring in my neighborhood
3 May 2021 (Monday)
- Started my Community Health Workers (CHW) class online (on my team leader's porch becuase my internet was not set up yet)
- Went to my local grocery store and signed up for their rewards card (for some reason this made me feel really brave!)
- Invited myself over to a teammate's house and we made banana bread/muffins :)
4 May 2021 (Tuesday)
- My first team meeting (on zoom), and intro to my new worker orientation afterwards
- I reached out to a friend when I was feeling overwhelmed (this felt brave because normally I would probably wait for someone to initiate instead of me reaching out myself)
- Went to a women's bible study with a teammate
5 May 2021 (Wednesday)
- Took a sabbath (I said no to things!)
- I did not set an "agenda" for resting (basically I ate, slept, ate more and then did things that I consider restful without feeling guilty for not being "productive"- it was lovely and MUCH needed!)
- I attempted to figure out my wifi motem that came in the mail (I was initially unsuccessful...)
6 May 2021 (Thursday)
- First day of "official" orientation
- I was successful in getting my wifi working (it took quite a few phone calls and a number of times running up and down the stairs)
- Found a mechanic and dropped off my (newish) car to be fixed
- Went to AAA in attempts to do other car related things (was mostly unsuccessful - apparently there are all sorts of papers and procedures that need to be done before anything can actually get done....)
- Went to my first ALL team meeting (in person!) and met new people :)
- Did not shy away from a potentially uncomfortable conversation (which made me feel very brave - especially because it wasn't as uncomfortable as I expected :))
7 May 2021 ( Friday) (One Whole Week)
- Second CHW class (at home, with my own internet!)
- Picked up my fixed car! (it was a radiator issue...ugh...)
- Braved the DMV in attempts to transfer my driver's lisence to my new state (was denied because I was missing ONE piece of paperwork...ugh...)
- Did a BIG shopping run to pick up basics and essentials (i.e. flowers, sugar, spices, cups, veggies, etc.)
- I used my dishwasher for the first time! (I typically don't have enough dishes to warrent running the dishwasher, but I figured today was a good day to try it out!)
All this to say, God is His abundant grace and goodness, has shown his provision over and over and over again, espeically in this first week! To Him be the glory, great things He has done!