Changes. . .

The realization that I am not good with change...

I have always considered myself a flexible person. If something had to be done, then I just added it into my day and got it done! If something had to be fixed, then I added it into my day and fixed it. I know…I know…I'm a textbook Type-A personality. And because of this, the challenge of “the unexpected” just helps me to stay on track and make things happen. Well, when an opportunity presented itself for my family and me to move down to South Florida and expand the Golden Sol enterprise, I jumped on it!
The decision to move was the easy part! The actual move, however…well, that generated a whirlwind of feelings that I've never been accustomed too, an unfamiliar feeling of UNCERTAINTY. New and complex decisions had to be addressed - Where we were to live? Where will my daughter go to school? Which is the best moving vendor? When should we leave? Who will our new doctors and dentists be? And the big one - is this what I really want?
I grew up in Miami, so the idea of going back home after nearly eleven years of Atlanta living was exciting! At least, those were my thoughts when it was a dream and not reality. The shocking, almost earth-shattering reality was that I AM NOT GOOD WITH CHANGE!! I am far too structured and set in my ways to handle such an influx of unknown variables. A daily routine is something I value and need. As a mother, a wife, and business owner this consistency is intrinsic to who I am.

After a few weeks of packing all my earthly belongings and slowly disassociating myself from my true feelings, it was time for the big move. As I made the 10-hour drive from Atlanta to South Florida, my heart felt heavier and heavier. It finally hit me that my entire adult life had been established in Atlanta. After college I moved straight to the ATL. I found my love, got married, had a child, made lifelong friendships, started new careers, and then BAM...I left it all behind.
As I pulled into my new home, I realized that life as we had been living it would be totally altered. At that point I couldn’t determine if this would be for the worse or the better; I just knew it would be different. I felt run over, exhausted, and home sick. It was then I realized that change is not my strong suit. I am such a control freak that the unknown shuts me down. The first week was the hardest, as I experienced episodes of near-anxiety attacks that seemed to strangle me. But as the next couple of weeks rolled by, I was suddenly engulfed with a feeling of contentment. I realized that this change is probably the best decision I've made in a long time. It has nothing to do with the location, distance, or career...but everything to do with letting go of my controlled environment and trying something new on for size; allowing new ideas, clients, friends, environments, and adventures to set in. I will never lose the precious bonds I’ve established and grown with my Atlanta friends, but I'm opening myself for the adventures to come! So as difficult as the revelation was that change is NOT my strong point, it opened a new page in the book called Natasha's Life.