The Journey

I know. I KNOW. You're probably wondering "Wait, she still has a blog?" I'm probably one of the most inconsistent bloggers out there. So inconsistent I can't believe I just called myself a blogger. But as I'm about to start a new, exciting chapter in my life, I figure this is a good time as any to start this shindig back up. Because the truth is, I love to look back at my old posts and relive the times and memories through those (often not so well-written) words. So, basically this is my 2019, very public equivalent of a personal diary. Welcome!

So what is this new chapter all about, you ask? Well, the past few months have been a whirlwind in the Srivastava-Tilly household, you guys. I guess 2019, in general, has been one of those years. It started off on an exciting, open-ended, completely terrifying note with me quitting my consulting job at the end of 2018 to try and rediscover what I wanted from my career. At the same time, Joe accepted a rotational job offer from BASF that starts in July and involves living in a new city (maybe even country!) every 8 months for the next 2 years. I guess Ace is going to be a pretty well-traveled dog by the end of it all.

But boy has it been a heck of a ride already! Career-wise, my self-reflection and search led me to data science and since March, I've been enrolled in a 6-month data science career bootcamp through Springboard. Which has been awesome because I'm absolutely loving what I'm learning, thrilled to be able to leverage my computational PhD skillset, and beyond excited to launch a career that aligns more closely with my life goals. And no, I'm not going to pretend any of this risk-taking has been or will be a cakewalk but damn, life would be pretty boring if it was, wouldn't it?

☝This dude gets it.

I'm not going to sugarcoat it though, all this leaping into uncharted territory has been pretty challenging, intense, and downright scary at times. For one, self-doubt is a real thing. With the unconventional life we're going to be living for the next 2 years, you kinda have to throw all planning out the window and have faith that things will figure themselves out. But we're only human and uncertainty can be a real pain in the tucus (that's yiddish for ass). Throw in some big life events in the mix and you'd better strap on those seat belts because this roller-coaster has begun, folks.

Here's some context.

We're going to be moving out of Raleigh, NC next month! Where to, you ask? Presumably, we find out on Monday 😅. Also happening next week: Joe's PhD defense! You should know that along with the person actually defending, a PhD defense also elevates stress levels for the spouse/significant other/dog/close friends/family/bartender/homeless guy down the street. That's just how things roll. Once Dr. Joe Tilly is in the house, we decided this would obviously be the best time to go to Mexico for a vacation because who REALLY needs to find an apartment to live in 3 weeks before they move? 🤷 (Seriously though, thank god for this trip). Throw in a couple of casual weekend trips in those remaining 3 weeks that have nothing to do with the impending move, finally find an apartment and start preparing for the move, and then of course, actually move to [insert US city]. Not to mention stay on top of that bootcamp I mentioned during all of this so I don't fall behind and can start recruiting/networking for whenever we actually do move. Oh and speaking of moving! Less than a week ago, my parents moved to Saudi Arabia.

What was the point of this post again? 😂

All jokes aside, it's really pretty easy to freak out when life feels all kinds of crazy the way it does now. Some days, I can't wait for the adventure to start and other days, it feels like I'm basically hanging on by a thread. It's easy to want to jump ten steps ahead and see where all of it is leading to, if it's leading to anything at all. But that's kind of the kicker, isn't it? Why do we need our experiences to lead to something, rather than appreciate them for the adventurous opportunities they are?

So the point of this post, I hope, is to serve as a reminder for when I look back at it on the other side of things. A reminder to embrace the storm and chaos of the journey. The destination never mattered anyway.