Changes

“The only inevitable thing is change, except from a vending machine.”

“What?”

I was sitting on the couch when Ari read that. He handed me the piece of paper it was on and, sure enough, that’s what it had said.

It got me thinking about all the changes that I had experienced over the past six months. A lot has shifted in my life, and I think it’s actually for the better. Ari and I are in a very different place than where we were before, but rest assured, the core hasn’t changed.

- A new job came into both of our lives. His is up in Los Angeles for 1-800-DENTIST, while mine is down in Laguna Hills for a company called Crittenden Research. My job has been a return to my roots as a reporter, which were planted in business writing. However, it’s very different, namely in the fact that if I don’t have an article in by 5 p.m., I won’t be verbally abused for it. Admittedly, it’s a nice change.

- We are also moving out of the ghetto apartment of Long Beach and heading down to Orange County – namely Costa Mesa, home of South Coast Plaza, one of the biggest malls in the United States. I am proud to say that I picked the apartment, complete with a bigger kitchen (!!!) and a sizable dining room for the Shabbat dinners I cannot wait to host. And it comes out to the same price we were paying before.

- I have also committed myself to make sure that I lead a healthier lifestyle. I am working out at least three times a week, loading up on veggies and trying my best to stay clear of my vices (namely pasta and ice cream). It’ a long road, but I know that I want to be healthy and active for the rest of my life. I won’t be perfect, but I feel like it’s something I can do.

Mind you, certain fundamentals haven’t changed – Ari and I are still not doing so hot in the monetary department, and I’m not sure when that will change (hopefully, shortly after the time that we move from the cursed apartment). But for the first time in a long time, our lives are turning in a positive direction.

Change is a difficult task. We like to be comfortable, so when things are shaken up, we are gripping at straws trying to figure it out. For the past eight and half years, Ari has had the same dry cleaner, gone to the same market (even after we moved away from his old place) and driven the same streets day after day. It’s a hard thing to give up the old ways, even after they have outgrown you.

I will miss Long Beach always; it was the first time that I really felt at home in the city where I lived. It’s hard to shake off the old ways and upend your lifestyle, even when it’s positive – it was a such a struggle for me at first when I got this job and had to start commuting again. Yet we are always thankful in the end when we move on and find a new world just waiting to take us in. It’s the leap into the unknown that is scary, but once we embrace it, it’s for the better. And, of course, when you have the best people surrounding you, helping you on that journey, what could be better than that?

So despite the fact that moving has made my apartment look like an episode of “Hoarders” and Ari is complaining every day about his soon-to-be extended commute, I am excited to embrace the future. It has taken us a long time to get to this point, and I cannot wait for what the future holds.

Unfortunately, there are no recipes for this week, as the move has been taking a toll. But next week, I will have a fabulous new one!