First 100 Days In New York

We recently went past the first 100 days of living in New York. It has been quite the change and here are my thoughts about living here so far.

Let me begin with the confession that part of me did not want to move here but neither did I want to stay in Tennessee either. In the beginning we weren’t sure exactly where we would eventually land. We were looking at anywhere in the Northeast region.

Now after being here for over 100 days, I am glad we moved here. The difference has been drastic for sure. In Murfreesboro we had the problem of nowhere to go or nothing to do but the problem here is that there is SO much to do. I’d rather have the latter problem.

Do I love NY? I can’t say that I “love” it but I am adjusting to it. There are many adventures we have had so far and even more ahead. While I regret that we had to make the hard choice to move away from some family, I still feel like we made the right choice for us at this stage in our lives.  Sometimes you have to make the hard choices but after being “stuck” due to jobs or other reasons, it is nice to feel more freer now than before.

So here are my pros and cons about living here the past 100 days:

PROS
Things to do
I love having so many options for things to do here. The thing that finally won me over was being closer to beaches. In addition to outdoor places to enjoy (which I love) we also have museums, zoos, shows, stores, etc. It’s very nice to finally have this.

Transportation
We are five minutes from the subway and one stop from access to the Long Island Railroad which gives us options to move around. I will be honest and say that it has taken some time to get familiar with the transportation.  It has been a different world for us.

Diversity/Acceptance
There are many different backgrounds, people and groups here. Most of the time, no one makes a big deal of differences like they do in the South. It’s nice to be in a place where you are accepted for whoever you are.

CONS
Driving
I HATE driving here. I can’t emphasize this enough. Although we have other modes of transportation, sometimes you still have to drive and find parking. There are SO many cars on the road here and people are more impatient here than anywhere else I have lived. It is totally chaotic but the further you drive away from the city on Long Island, the calmer it is.

Cost of living
It is expensive to live here. We are paying more for renting a smaller place than we did a house. It’s crazy. You can live here but you have to be willing to make trade offs for what you want to spend money on.

Communication
This is the most annoying part of living here. English is not the common language spoken here and can be quite a challenge. It is something I wasn’t prepared for when moving here.

In the beginning I didn’t handle the move very well. Everything is just a bit extra aggravation but now I have come to expect it. Nothing is easy here but you learn to deal with it.

Another thing is walking. You do a lot of it here. People walk all Willy-nilly sometimes. You never know which direction people are going to walk and if they are looking at their phones, they may just run directly into you.

Do I like it here? I can say I like it better than I did before. Will we stay here? Not sure. There are other places we want to explore in the Northeast. We had a trip about a month ago to Ogunquit, Maine and it was amazing. It’s the kind of place we could settle in if we can afford it but there are still many other places to explore. We also visited Boston which we loved as well.

So far it has been an awesome adventure for us. We are enjoying this stage of our lives while we can. It has been a unique experience that we thought we would never get to do.

Being Content

 

Are you happy where you are right now?

I have been around people before who were always talking about where they had been and wished they were there. They aren’t ever happy where they are.

I have been there and have been that person. In the past years I have tried to be more content with my life. Not wasting my days wishing I was somewhere else.

When I was in the military I was stationed in Greenland at a base inside of the Arctic Circle for a year. It was a terrible assignment. I immediately started counting down the days until I could leave. Today when I look back on that time, I wish I had appreciated my time there and the unique experience of being there.

We often have a problem with being content.

The Apostle Paul wrote about this in the book of Philippians. He wrote:

"...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

There's nothing wrong with wanting to improve or to have goals but sometimes we can't enjoy the now because we are constantly living ahead.

I have to remind myself that I need to be thankful for where I am now because where I am now was once something I was striving for.

We have all had days when we didn’t like where we were or what we were going through. Those are not good days to test us about being content; however, if we put our trust in God He will give us strength to endure until things change.

Things do change. Sometimes not fast enough but they do change. None of us can be any where or any place except the present. We should recognize where we are and learn to be content.

If God Doesn't Do It, It Won't Get Done

Have you ever had your back against the wall and saw no way out of a situation and even when you prayed, nothing changed?

I think we've all been there.

No plan B.  No safety net.  No control of the situation.

A couple of years ago I thought everything was fine.  I logged onto work as I had done for two years and by the end of the day I was without a job.  Never saw it coming.  I was blindsided.  Suddenly for the first time in my adult life I was unemployed.

I won't lie.  It hurt me bad.  It shook me.  I never saw it coming.

As you can imagine, my prayer life ramped up after that happened.  After taking 24 hours to recover from the shock I started looking for a job.  I had a lead and thought I was going to slide into it but the company kept delaying.  I prayed and thought it was God's will.  The waiting continued and my funds were soon running out.  I finally resigned that if God didn't do something that it wasn't going to get done.  I had to step out on faith over my anxiety of the situation.

When it looked like nothing was going to happen, suddenly something big happened. I was hired by another company for a better position with more money.  It was no coincidence.  It was God.  

We can pray and plead with God but we eventually have to leave it with Him.  We can't make God do anything.  He either does it or He doesn't.  And if He doesn't He's still doing something.  Just because God doesn't do it our way doesn't mean He's not doing anything.  Timing is often in God's plan for us.  The pressure is on God - not us when we pray.  We pray and leave the results to Him.  

There are times when we feel absolutely certain that we are praying God's will yet we see no results.  It appears that God isn't doing anything.  Those are the hardest - and most important times - to have faith.  Having faith in God when we see no results is one of the hardest things a believer can experience.

When God doesn't answer, we have to assume there is a reason.  God can do anything He wants to do when He wants to do it.  He doesn't need our permission or manipulative prayers to do it. Our prayers should not be able dictating outcomes or demanding instant results from God.  That's not how He works.  God is about building a relationship and aligning our desires with His will.  God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours and His timing is often different from our expectations.  Trust in God's timing and that it will work together for His purpose.  

Prayer only works when we put ourselves in alignment with God.  

When I was going through the time I lost my job and was desperately looking for another one, the song "Desert Road" was released by Casting Crowns.  Very timely for my situation.  The chorus in this song gave me strength through it.

I don't know where this is goin'
But I know who holds my hand
It's not the path I would've chosen
But I'll follow You to the end
Lord, as long as I am breathin'
I will make Your glory known
Even if it means I'm walkin'
On this desert road