The city I call home. I grew up visiting family in Austin and moved here in 2007, planning to move on after about four years to explore life on the Pacific coast. Somehow that never happened. Later, I tried to chart a new path when I packed up my stuff in a storage unit and traveled the Western US in an RV for five months. But I came back. And stayed.
I think about moving and get antsy. Maybe it’s just wanderlust, but I have this feeling that somewhere else I could be happier. But then I leave for a bit and when I come back I feel so relieved – I think it’s because of the people.
Texas has a sort of “you do you and I’ll do me” attitude. Freedom is a virtue. And Austin has a hippie vibe that attracts creative, open-minded people. This combination of freedom-to-be and unusual bohemian spirit results in outlandish expression that takes many forms, all of which delight me.
One day I saw a man, dressed head-to-toe in a zebra onesie, riding a scooter through the neighborhood. And I didn’t blink. It was a normal day, a Tuesday afternoon; there was no apparent reason for the costume. I realized that my lack of reaction meant I’d attained true Austinite status. If this had happened in my hometown, I would have been excited to tell my friends “you’ll never guess what I saw today!,” but in Austin, this is pretty normal for a Tuesday.
But this city keeps changing. It’s unbelievable how much it has grown in the years I’ve lived here. While driving through downtown, it isn’t unusual to spot construction cranes numbering in the double digits. The traffic has become dangerous and backed up. There are lines everywhere, parking is a challenge, and reservations are required. It’s a big city now.
Like everyone else, I’ve struggled with the changes. I began to plan my day around traffic and I stopped going out as much. I stopped going downtown or to South Congress just for fun. I stopped going to Barton Springs Pool. Everything just felt harder and I was becoming bitter.
In 2022, people started going out again and the city began humming at its pre-pandemic level. And my art business picked up. I started regularly attending gallery openings and found myself having the same conversation with other artists and Austinites: “How do we deal with these changes?”
Going into this year, I was sure that the only answer is to move. But through those conversations I’ve learned that another option is possible: I can change with my city. The key is to not stop going out, you have to continue to do what you love to do. Go to Barton Springs Pool, and learn to add time for traffic and pay for parking. Go downtown for fun, but go on a weekday to avoid crowds. In the grand scheme of things, the changes are actually very small and it doesn’t take much to become accustomed to them.
Most importantly: talk to people about it. The traffic really does suck and in some ways it is harder to live here now, but there are also wonderful new things to explore popping up every day. Having conversations with others about the city can be enlightening and the commiseration can be healing (as long as you focus on solutions and stay out of negative-spirals).
One thing I’ve learned about difficult feelings is that to get unstuck you must pick one: accept, leave, or change. If you can’t change a situation, and you don’t want to leave it, then you must find ways to accept it.
My path to acceptance is found through strengthening my community and friendships, exploring what’s new and exciting, and continuing to do what I love (despite the traffic).
I hope you’re finding ways to make time for what you love in the upcoming year!
THINGS I’M LOVING
LISTENING to this episode of The Happiness Lab about the freeing power of commitment and the real meaning of “YOLO”
WATCHING the Human Playground series on Netflix, which explores the limits of the human experience through the many amazing and bizarre ways we play.
DOING some painting after a long break. This year has been super busy for me in a lot of big ways but that’s meant less time and energy for painting. Putting that brush on the canvas and moving some colors around feels so nice!
