The Good Girl: Starting Fresh

There is nothing more daunting than the idea of a new beginning. Some people love the thrill, for others, it's the chase. Well not this good girl. For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with starting points. Do I start with a bang and then slowly even out? Or should I challenge myself like a runner, slow and steady through the course? I may not know the answer, but I do know that I'm not a runner - so the slow and steady might have to wait.

I will start with my new beginning. My life-long dream was to move to New York City. I know what you're thinking...I am one of those people plagued by a zealous love for FRIENDS episodes and New York - based chick flicks. But the truth is, I knew it was going to be ugly. So naturally, leaving God's Country* with my friends and family attached to it was not an easy reality. While I was ready for the excitement of branching out on my own, I knew that there were a few things to learn along the way. Being the good girl that I am, my parents were nervous that I would trust everyone that I came in contact with leaving a wide open space for someone to take advantage of me, for example:

Stranger: "Could I trouble you for $5?"
Me: "Sure"

Cab Driver: "I actually can't take you there, but I can drop you off here" (a mile from the destination)
Me: "Oh...ok"

Landlord: "I won't be able to come and fix your toilet until next Monday"
Me: "Oh really? Hmm..ok"

You get the idea.

The point is, some of my 'firsts' were a tear-stained mess but others were a lot of fun. While my list of lost, then recovered, items is long and winding (my wallet, my roommates license and social security card, my cell phone, etc) it was just a bridge to cross in my journey of self-discovery. I can't tell you how many times I called my Good Mother with crying eyes and a heavy heart telling her that I couldn't branch out on my own, she would be there reassuring me that I could do it and it would pay off. I am so glad that I did. I don't think that I'll ever forget my first Christmas in the City, complete with a Charlie Brown tree and great friends. Or my first excursion to the Hamptons, filled with bike rides, beaches and enough Polo for a lifetime. Or even the simpler times of 'pizza Thursdays,' Magnolia cupcakes and a nice walk through Central Park.

If I have learned anything, it is that eventually good will prevail from all faulty beginnings. I find that I won't appreciate it if I didn't have to work for it. So get in there good girl - start small, start fresh, and enjoy!

*The Lone Star State

"That's what momma always says. She says that beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts the most." - Hope Floats