The morning was cold and the rain was coming down in sheets. I had been in this new city for about a month and my life was adrift. Gathering my things and heading out to work it seemed as though the weather was a reflection of my life at this moment.

It had begun as an exciting adventure with high expectations. After graduating from nursing school there had been a job offer in a city far from home. It would be my first time to live so far away from family and friends. The new city seemed to offer everything that home lacked.

The loneliness had set in about two weeks into my new adventure. There was a lot to do in this new city but no one to share the experience with. Getting out of my car at the hospital I was pondering on how to solve this dilemma. The wind was pulling at my umbrella this morning as a car splashed water on me as I crossed the street. The parking lot was across the street from the hospital. At the time solving the issue of loneliness in this new city seemed out of reach.

It is an enlightening experience caring for people who are ill. When taken into perspective I realized that everyone has an issue and there are solutions to life’s problems. This is the point where I decided to explore the city and make new friends by living intentionally.

Intentional living is exploring life by doing things with a purpose. There was a reason that this new city was appealing to me. It had beautiful mountains with trails to hike and rivers with rapids to kayak. There were beautiful sunrises and sunsets to observe. There were music venues that featured up and coming artists. It was a city filled with life.

I began my intentional living by attempting to make new friends. People are really quite friendly when asked about their interests. It was not long before I found a few people with interests similar to mine.

The next weekend I met a few people at a local river where kayaking was popular. The river sparkled in the morning sun and the morning was cool. It was not long before we were laughing and exchanging stories of the river. At noon it was time to stop and have lunch. We had packed coolers filled with food and found some shady spots among the trees to picnic.

One of our conversations was discussing how lonely it was to be in a new place. Many of the people with me were travel nurses who changed locations every three months. They commented that living intentionally was a great way to fully experience the adventures of a new city.

In each new city they would choose the activities that interested them. Then plans would be made to do each of these things. They would not be adrift because everything would serve a purpose. This made each new adventure fun and exciting.

We finished our lunch and began to kayak down the river once again. The temperature had risen and the cool river water felt wonderful. Going over the rapids increased the joy in this trip. Soon we were back at our starting point and everyone headed home. It was a wonderful day.

Back at my apartment I began to apply intentional living to other parts of my life. Exploring the history of this city was important to me so I began to visit the local museums. At each museum there was usually someone from the area who would explain the local traditions. It is easy to find friendly people in most places if you take the time to ask people about their surroundings.

I also began to apply intentional living to my finances. The new city was expensive and I had wondered how to make ends meet. My new job paid well but there are times when my wants did not meet the budget. By living intentionally I was able to do everything that was truly important to me. Letting go of the small things enabled me to have an adventure and save money.

After two months in the new city I was not adrift. Things were no longer overwhelming and now it is beginning to feel like home. Intentional living has been wonderful and made this journey a joy. The weather is warm now and I am excited to continue this adventure.

copyright 2017 Debbie Pierce

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/adrift/”>Adrift</a&gt;

via Daily Prompt: Adrift