It has now been over a month since I moved to this house in north Nashville. I now feel pretty comfortable here and almost at home. The house is located next to the train tracks, so every 15 to 30 minutes a train goes by honking its horn as loud as possible. This has been extremely frustrating, more frustrating than when I lived in Fresno next to the train tracks. For some reason I cannot recollect being so annoyed by the train noise. Or maybe it's because the trains were quieter there.
For the whole month I've had insomnia. It certainly affected
my mental health and overall ambitions of fully enjoying the city life. I feel
like I have settled into more of a routine versus in a constant traveler mode.
Perhaps this is where I should be for a while.
I've established a good group of friends, and we meet once
every few weeks for brunch or another activity. It's been nice to feel the
sense of belonging. New Year's Eve was spent in a restaurant, actually two
restaurants. One restaurant was our favorite, Sadie’s, and the second one was, Barcelona,
where we met the New Year. I was in bed by 1:00 am. I guess it really says a
lot about my values and lifestyle.
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| Salmon Kebab at Sadie's |
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| Mushrooms at Barcelona |
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| A whole variety of small plates |
I've also enjoyed doing volunteer work. I started volunteering at the food bank and have completed my first volunteer shift bagging food for children. I also continue to volunteer at the Public Library, probably my most favorite volunteer activity so far. I'm surprised how much I'm enjoying it still almost two months later and wish I had started volunteering at a library sooner. I continue to speak with the Ukrainian refugee who I connected with through ENGin company. Finally, I started volunteering for a Humane Society. My first shift is in two weeks at a community event. I dove into volunteering to occupy my time with something that I consider useful. And also maybe to distract myself from the boredom of staying in one place for a while.
I also haven't been able to hike as much as I typically
would, even during the winter. I finally went on a hike (North Fork Laurel Woods Trail) at a local park last weekend, and it felt fantastic. I feel I'm
disconnected from nature somehow. City life is enjoyable from the perspective
of having connections with people and doing things that I enjoy, but I
definitely missed the part where I get quiet time alone in the nature hiking.
Kitty has been enjoying relative stability either lounging next to the heat vents or sunbathing by the door.
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| There is a heating vent right under the sink |
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| He loves the morning sun shining through the glass door |
The weather has not been ideal either this month, so I spent most of the time indoors. I frequently go on walks around the neighborhood while listening to an audiobook, podcast or a meditation. It's been a huge benefit to be able to walk without having to drive anywhere. The neighborhood is quiet for the most part except for when the train goes by... I enjoy the birds that visit the front yard in hundreds.
I went out with my friends to the skating rink for a
few hours, it reminded me of the last time I was skating three years ago in San
Diego. So many things have changed since then.
I've also made plans for future traveling. My friend and I
are going to Colorado Springs for a month in early spring and then I'm hoping
to spend the summer between Colorado and New Mexico. I've exhausted all options
on Furnished Finder, so I had to use Airbnb to actually book something. I'm
excited to travel again.
In the meantime, I am going to try and manage my insomnia and get my mind centered on enjoying the present.
