Friday, November 16, 2012

Life, Lately

Hey, sooo I've been absent from the blog world for the past two weeks. I've missed blogging, but even more than that, I've missed reading all of my favorite blogs. I have tons of catching up to do! Oh, and I'm breaking the cardinal rule - the one I mentioned in a post a few weeks back. Writing a post without images.

I thought it was about time for a little update and explanation for my absence. Thamires, one of my best friends, came to visit two weekends ago, and then that Sunday, I unfortunately got super sick. I actually lost my voice briefly... and I still happen to be somewhat sick, nearly two weeks later. Well, then Jacob and I broke up last Wednesday. We were together for two and a half years and we've lived together for the past year and a few months. He moved out Sunday (and took the modem with him, so I've just set up my internet again today). So while I care about my blog and all of the goals I set for myself, I found it necessary to give myself a break for a while... and I'm really glad I did.

Aside from work, I've just been spending the past two weeks either curled up (or pushing through work) feeling horribly sick and trying not to throw up (it is now primarily reduced to periodic coughing fits), spending time with my amazing and supportive friends, laying in bed listening to music and/or thinking about life, reading lots, and of course doing whatever has been necessary to set my house up for living alone. Zoe, another best friend of mine, drove up from Portland to visit last weekend and was so incredibly helpful. We went shopping for a bed frame, mattress, vacuum cleaner, and all sorts of other household items that I got rid of when I first moved in with Jacob in June of last year. After a full Sunday of shopping (while Jacob and his friends moved his stuff out), she and I built my new IKEA bed frame (it has drawers for my stuffed animals! Hah) for around six hours with just a brief dinner break. By that time it was pretty late, so she ended up sleeping here for a few hours, then woke up and drove home at 4:30am (it's about a three hour drive from Seattle to Portland) to make it in time for work at 8:30am. See? I wasn't kidding about those amazing friends.

I'm not going to dive into the details, but I will say that Jacob and I have been talking about this for a little while now. Ironically, pretty soon after we moved to my new house together. Or maybe not so ironic... it just seems funny in terms of timing. We had it all planned out. We were going to live here for a long time. Get married. Have kids. Work on the house together. As it turns out, though, relationships are fragile. Maybe it's just me, but I've always found that even seemingly solid relationships can unravel far more quickly than you'd think possible. We're too different. And I won't speculate as to what exactly went through his mind, but for me, moving here made everything so real. That vision I mentioned was coming true... and I found that I wasn't ready. That we're too different, which has been true for a long time, but which we've blissfully ignored because there was so much good.

It's really, really hard to let go of someone who is such a good person. Someone who treats you far better than you could have dreamed to be possible. Someone you were so sure you were going to be with for the rest of your life. But when you know it's ultimately not right, you just have to push through it, to let go. Neither of us wanted it to get to the point where we felt totally trapped and hated each other. We're still really good friends and I think if we had waited too long and dragged it out, that might not be possible.

It's also time for me to just... learn what it's like to be me, to be on my own. To rely on myself. To work on goals I set for myself, new and old. To be the person I want to be. And while I feel like I know a lot more about myself and am more confident in some ways than I was a few years ago (before I met Jacob), I have a lot more to learn. Of course, with the right person, at the right time, in the right kind of relationship, you can definitely do that while in a relationship. But there is something to be said for knowing what you are capable of on your own. At least I hope so. I'm 25 and I feel both sure of myself and totally lost simultaneously. Everything is exciting and terrifying.

I've always known that I am different. Everyone has their own unique traits and things that differentiate them. But, to approach it simplistically, most people also fit a little better into (for lack of a better explanation) what I guess I deem the Corporate vs. Artist. I work as an accountant. I've met lots of friends at my previous job and current job, and most of them are "Corporate" types. I love that they are generally reliable and practical, good about spending and planning for the future, etc. Jacob definitely fits there, and those are some of the reasons I was attracted to him in the first place. Then there are the "Artists," whom I love for their creativity, incredible sense of design and appreciation for the world's beauty. They often tend to be more carefree and open to risks and adventures.

And then there's me. Somehow, I've managed to sit right in the middle. Very, very Corporate in some ways, very very Artist in others. And even beyond these extremely general classifications, it's always been that way for me. When I was applying for colleges, people would always ask me if I was going for something more "math/science" or "English/history." Well, I liked and excelled at math and English. I always did the planning and organization for our group events but I also liked to make things and loved graffiti. I know these are all small, random examples... I could go on and on. But the bottom line is that I have always felt like a paradox. I never felt like I belonged anywhere and that's always been fine with me. I prided myself on being different and I still do. But as it turns out, different gets lonely sometimes. Very, very few people have ever truly understood me and that makes me feel lonely.

Another thing I should mention is that while in some ways I'm very focused, in other ways I have an incredibly short attention span. I never stay interested in anything for very long. I like vastly different styles, sometimes changing my taste by the day. It's been so hard to decide how to decorate my house because I have all of these contrasting design ideas. I can't even pick a favorite color. Every time I go to the salon my hair turns out completely different - I often can't even decide what to do with the color scheme until I'm sitting in the chair looking in the mirror and I decide because I have to.

Jacob knows who he is, what he wants, what he's doing, and how to get there. He is in the Corporate box and that's totally awesome, because he's happy where he is, he's determined, and he's going to make it some day. It's simple, recognizable, and has a clear destination. I, on the other hand, am off building my own box. And painting it pastel rainbow with cupcakes and sweets and adding glitter and decorations. But halfway through, I'm already bored and want to make it red and black and white with a gothic trim. And my box isn't even rectangular, it's star-shaped. Oh, but maybe heart-shaped would be better. Or maybe I should shape it like a cupcake and just do a light pink/aqua color scheme. And some days I feel like this will continue into eternity, until I'm old and I'm sitting in a room all alone, and all I have is hundreds of half-finished boxes of different shapes and colors.

If that made any sense... =)

I have so much to do in the next month. Two craft fairs to prepare for. Gotta fix the leak and hole in my house (plumbing issues). Get the rest of the stuff I need for my house, like sheets and a comforter. Get through every work day and focus on accomplishing everything, regardless of all the fuzziness and thoughts rattling around in my head. Work is getting busier too. At least I feel mostly healthy again. But even so, there are days, or even parts of days where all I want to do is sleep and shut out the world for a few weeks.

But while I've gotten burnt out plenty of times over the years and taken short breaks to recover, one thing I absolutely refuse to do is to completely fold and give up. I made this choice to be on my own and now I have to stay strong and deal with the consequences. I don't know anything about houses and I'm terrified something will go wrong with my house and I'll have no idea what to do. But I'll have to figure it out. It's definitely not all bad. I have genuinely enjoyed getting out of the house more often and seeing my friends more, lately. I'm excited about the design possibilities for my house. I'm going to start running and get in shape. I have lots of plans... and I'll figure this out, figure out my new life. I finally decided what tattoo I'm getting. I could never settle on a design before... but I'm doing it. Being decisive. Zoe's helping me design it (she's a graphic designer). It's going to represent the next few months or however long it takes me to figure out my new life. Because if I can get through this, I can get through anything.

19 comments:

  1. *hugs* I'm so sorry about your breakup. It takes a lot of strength to be able to end something that's good but not quite right, and I'm glad you were able to do it and start opening new doors for your future. Good luck getting through the breakup and moving on to new things!

    Also, I TOTALLY know what you mean about wanting to make your box a different color/style every minute. I'm totally that way too. ;)

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  2. Aw I love you Kelsea! I'm sorry you are going through this tough time.

    You definitely will get through this because I can tell what kind of determined person you are. It seems like when you want something, you go get it. And having your friends there for you will make it even easier.

    And it's so crazy, but every time you talk about the type of person you are, it always reminds me of myself.

    As you know, I'm getting my MBA and I'm totally entrenched in the "corporate" world with all of those types of people. And don't get me wrong, I feel like I am half corporate half artist as well. I never really feel like I quite fit in because I (now) have purple tipped hair, a deco phone case, and am always dreaming in cupcakes and rainbows. People look at me like I am crazy sometimes. haha. But I love it. I never really knew what I wanted to major in, but I think I ended up in business school because I love owning my own jewelry business, and honestly it was the "safe" way to go. (Again half risky and half safe). I am 24 and I feel like I am just beginning to figure out who I really am.

    And I swear everyday that I change my mind about what I want to do once I graduate. So I am so ADD in that respect :)

    Anyway, send me an email if you ever just wanna chat - I would love to!

    xoxo

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  3. Hi Kelsea, I am also sorry you are going through such a hard time. Just wanted to take the time to say that this post really touched my heart and I hope you will overcome this and become even a stronger person. I'm excited to keep reading about where life leads you :)

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  4. *bear hug* I am sorry about all that is going on in your life dear! But I am sure that in the end you will be a stronger person for it. I know that living on your own can seem really challenging, I had the same when I was 24 and moves on my own. But also think of all the plusses, you can have the freedom to do and be whatever you want in your home. AND decorate it the way you want :D Lots of cupcakes posters and dragons.
    Being different is awesome, you are uniquely you so you should be proud. (I should say that to myself more too!)
    Take it all on step at a time and you will get where you want to be, in a lovely home all yours :D

    xxx

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  5. Sorry about your break up. Take all the time you need, it sounds like youre in the right frame of mind though, wanting to redesign your place and such. Good luck with it all. :]

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  6. -hugs- I'm so sorry to hear about your breakup! I have faith in you though, I think you'll make it through and be stronger for it :3

    as for the corporate/artist divide, that was super interesting. I think I'm like you... I love math and science, but I also love english and history... we have too many interests, and that's hard!

    you can do it :)

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  7. Being sick plus breaking up has got to be the worst..so sorry for your struggles. As they say, it's what makes us stronger. Or what makes us punch people. Either way, I hope things look up for you soon. Sending positive vibes your way :)

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  8. sounds like lots going on right now, sorry you were sick and breaking up, so hard. I often reflect that life in the modern world, although wonderful, is full of so many choices, it can make it hard to know which are the right ones. But, sounds like you're in touch with what's right for you. Also, I think it is very exciting to have your home to work on. One of the happiest times of my life was when I owned a home by myself. So, paint the walls purple and green, invite your friends over, enjoy quiet Saturday mornings. take good care Kelsea!!

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  9. :) Sounds like you are on the right track! Also sounds pretty exciting really! Can't wait to see the tattoo!

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  10. I hope everything works out for you sweety! Eat lots of cupcakes and drink tea and honey for your throat. I hope there are many doors opening for you...one with your prince charming standing in the doorway ;)

    Xo,
    Eeka

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  11. Siska P11/26/2012

    Power huggg... Sorry for the break up, but u'll be fine in time Kels.. Kelsea will always be fine in the end, u are just that awesome :) :) wish I could be there to entertain u smway smhow.. But my prayer is with u Kels.. Love reading ur blog! Kudos! :) Xoxo

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  12. sorry to hear that, but good that you're back. best wishes:)

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  13. a very thoughtful, self-reflecting post.
    i'm so sorry about everything, but you do
    seem to have managed this pretty well so far.

    good luck on your new journey!

    erica

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  14. I know that this is late and I'm behind, but I'm so sorry that things were rough--that you were feeling sick, that life was changing directions, that there was a separation. You seem to have done a lot of soul-searching and making good discoveries. I hope things are better and brighter, now. You can pull through this because you are awesome! Best wishes!

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  15. Anonymous12/16/2012

    Oh my gosh lady, big hugs to you <3
    Thinking of you at this difficult time and hop you get better in yourself soon xox

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  16. huge hugs! Aaron and I send lots of love!

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  17. Hi Kelsea! Been dropping regular visits here wishing for a new post from you. I hope you're doing well. Really miss reading your posts. *extra tight virtual hug and kisses*

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  18. Oh, sweets! Sending all of the hugs and lovely thoughts your way, darling. <3
    -Zie

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