The 4 habits I'm taking with me when I leave the beach for good.
Realizing that my life in NYC has been centered around consumption—if not over-consumption— and how I fixed it naturally on my own.
I’m no stranger to leaving NYC. A running joke between me and my best friend Emily is that I have thrown myself no less than THREE goodbye parties in the last decade. I’ve really tried to leave New York City! Except for some reason I always come back. Usually only a few months later.
I think I am old and wise enough that when I leave NYC next, it will be for real. It’s been 13 years this winter— it has been an amazing chapter. I may not go far. But these days when I leave New York for the right kinds of places, I unlock what feels like almost an entirely different brain…damn, I like that brain! I’d like to keep that brain.
This summer was the second I’ve spent decamped at the beach where my fiancé moved to as a kid, the town where he met his best friend Sophie who is now my best friend Sophie, the one who introduced us. While this Long Island suburb is maybe not exactly… Florence… to me, I would consider this summer a successful one.
Not so much because of what the town gave me, but more of what I unlocked in it. You can do it or find it anywhere.
Here’s what I’m taking with me when I go— though I know the seasons will shift and NYC will buck against this energy, I’m going to try my best. This attempt includes…
The lifestyle shift that saved me money for the first time in… years
How I slashed my screen time and went from spending hours watching TV every night to reading 95 books so far this year (!)
Did I have a shopping addiction? Maybe! And now the tale of how I beat it without trying too hard
All in, this is my journey of 1.) realizing that my life in NYC has been centered around consumption—if not over-consumption— and 2.) correcting that intuitively and with ease. It’s uniquely personal, but if you relate to it or it affects your journey in any way, I’d be so honored and proud.
