Factory Life Ep 25
The Pain of Progress
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It’s been 77 days since my last newsletter.
There are no excuses, but damn has it been insane.
Here’s a little update from me and what’s next.
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The cost of change
~$8,000
I don’t know the exact amount, but it’s cost about $8,000 to move from San Francisco to Atlanta. Between the Uhaul, the three sets of movers, the Pod, and everything in between, shit adds up.
our last day in our SF apt
While that amount pains me, there have been other incalculable costs.
Uprooting myself physically has naturally made me take account of other areas of my life. The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions and reflection.
When we left Atlanta in December of 2020, we were at the height of the pandemic. I wore a face shield and two masks on the plane. I remember because I was glad no one could see me bawling.
It was the first time I was really leaving home and uprooting myself.
Three years later, while there are no more masks or face shields, the paradox of pain and hope remains.
My time in Oregon (2021) and San Francisco (2021-2023) was filled with isolation. Although I have so many beautiful memories with my wife and friends, 95% of my time was spent alone.
If you know me, you know that I hate being alone. So much so that I shared rooms with friends basically until I got married.
Being isolated. Building businesses. Closing businesses. Having extremely difficult conversations.
our park and our daily view of sf
I’m coming out of this period of my as a different person.
In a lot of ways, it’s good. I’ve gotten more resilient. I have more skills. I trust my instinct.
But in a lot of ways, I’ve lost parts some key parts of myself.
I lost my passion for food and drink. For collecting and curation. For fashion. For photography. For spontaneity.
Having been through all this change, the one thing I’ve learned is that I should anticipate it.
I’m not sure what this next chapter of life will bring, but if the last three are any indication, I’m confident I’ll probably change again. But this time around, I have opinions.
For this next chapter, I want:
to reconnect with what lights me up — they might be the same, they might be totally new. It’ll require me to be fully open
to balance out my isolation time. I don’t think I’ll want 95% of my time to be with others, but 50:50 doesn’t sound so bad
to build healthy habits that don’t change (regardless of how my life changes)
to deepen my existing relationships
to travel just for fun
to leave space for spontaneity
to continue writing this newsletter
If you’re ever in ATL, please hit me up! If you need a place to stay, the one thing I have in abundance is bedrooms 😂
If you’re going through some change, I’d love to hear about it.
Until next week ✌🏼
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