First Post of the Year

This is surprisingly my first post of the new year (2024). It’s interesting how the New Year is now old news because it’s been 2024 for a good chunk of time now. 2024 itself aside, the Year of the Dragon is probably old news as well.

Unlike the prior year where I had the opportunity to attend Lunar New Year events for the year of the rabbit/cat, this year, I didn’t get to attend any, really. There was one event that I went out of my way to attend but that didn’t count since it was raining and we all know how people in California can’t function in the rain for the most part. I went to the festival only to leave almost immediately since there were no performances going on. (I am clueless as to whether they actually ended up having any performances after I left the venue.) With how expensive the golden state is, I don’t care much for vendors selling overpriced food, random trinkets and dare I say, unnecessary junk that’s junk because it’s overpriced and weird informational booths that have nothing to do with Lunar New Year or the venue’s city in any way. I found it bizarre and had to find my “fun” elsewhere.

I do understand that foodies will love such a festival even if performances are absent because they’re there for the food… I don’t know how much someone needs to make annually to enjoy these overpriced food items but I’m not game for it in any way unless I am super hungry and don’t have any other choices.

This specific event aside, which I’ll probably blog about more one day in the near future, I just didn’t have time to go to any of the other Lunar New Year associated events that may have been epic. I was too busy to do so.

Let’s just say that busy-ness is never a good excuse for anything. If anything, it made me realize how much I missed out on the simple things I enjoy. We don’t have to go to an ultra expensive event to have a good time. But we do miss out when we don’t take advantage of an opportunity to have fun, especially when it’s an opportunity to do so for free.

I had plenty of opportunities to attend Lunar New Year events but just couldn’t.

While that’s all in the past now, in the aftermath of my so-called new found busy-ness, I felt severely drained. I was drained because I wasn’t able to enjoy even the simplest of things in life. That wasn’t ok to me.

And it wasn’t just about not being able to attend the many freebie Lunar New Year events but how I even had to say no to the potential possibility of visiting a state I’d never been to! To be fair, I probably wouldn’t have gone regardless of how busy I was anyway because even their cheapest of lodging options were insanely overpriced. I was not cool with that. More important than that though, was how I knew I wouldn’t be able to plan my trip out well if I was in this state of perpetual busy-ness and how was I going to be able to enjoy my time in another state while still being in a state of busy-ness? Insane but the idea of splurging on a whim was the most insane thing of all.

My itchiness to see another part of the world was a sign that I needed a break from it all. But I knew better than to “waste” money. It just wasn’t the logical thing to do. And it’ll probably never be the logical thing to do while this state remains the most expensive to reside in.

So, should I move to another state? A totally different location? To the unknown? To the unfamiliar?

I thought about it but I also heard many people experiencing difficulty making it back to this overpriced state should they ever desire to come back.

But the idea of being in a new place in a “new” year is enticing and might very well be something I need.

But where? What? And how?

I hear of many that have moved to a completely different country and they’re able to do it because they have a remote job or have made it as a successful content creator. How do I be a digital nomad? I’m sure there are many how-to courses out there but these courses probably won’t give me or anyone else the answer we’re seeking since such courses are designed not so much to help you but more so to bring passive income for the course “creator”. And I’m not about to support or invest in something that is just going to leave me where I first started aka still not knowing the answer.

If you can’t tell, I’m in a bit of a conundrum. In life, we have to make choices. Sometimes we can create choices ourselves. Other times we have to just make do with whatever choices are presented before us and just hope the choice we pick is the best choice for us. Yes, whatever path I end up taking, I hope it’ll be a great one. One that brings me lots of joy, fulfillment and healing. So, what’s your journey looking like so far?