I’ve made a lot of decisions in my lifetime. I’ve made a lot of choices. Some good, a lot of bad. I’ve traveled up and down the highways and byways and have found myself to be living on the edge of tragedy instead of comedy most of the time (a nice little Stranger Than Fiction reference for you).

But back in February I made a decision that would alter my life forever. This decision was absolutely one that I didn’t take lightly. I made the decision to not only propose to my long-distance girlfriend of over three years but also to move to her city at some point over the next year. I had discussed the situation with my ex-wife and my son and they were both on board, so it just seemed as though the stars were aligning at just the right time. That time came in September and I moved here on September 10th.

Without a shadow of a doubt, it has been the best decision that I’ve ever made. Let me just tell you the multitude of reasons of why that’s the case…

My job is awesome. I work for a construction company as an executive assistant to the president/owner. She’s also in real estate and I’m learning that side of the business, as well. At first, I was a little hesitant about being an assistant, but in a short period of time I’ve been entrusted with the task of being “her” if anything were to ever happen to her. So if she gets hit by a bus tomorrow morning, I’m the one that’s going to keep the business running. That’s a HUGE responsibility and one I don’t take lightly at all…but it’s also a lot more than I initially signed on for, which I’m very excited about. In addition, I’m also doing social media for about 50% of my day, which is practically a dream come true for me. I mean, I never thought that I’d be getting paid to be a social media specialist at 40 years old…but that’s what’s happening. 

My future job looks awesome, too. At this point, I’m not making a ton of money…but the potential is there to substantially pad my income. The long-term future has me quite excited, too…especially considering how much my new employer believes in me and my abilities. I’m excited about the opportunities and can’t wait to see where I’m at in six months’ time…a year…five years! 

My family life is incredible. Seriously…I never in a million years thought that living with Sunshine and her girls would be nearly as fulfilling as it’s been. I wake up with a smile on my face. I get hugs from everybody when I get home from work. I get cooked meals from an amazing woman and I laugh with all three girls at the dinner table. It’s more than I ever thought was possible. Or more apt, it’s more than I ever thought I deserved…and this makes me incredibly happy.

I’m writing again. No, not just here…I’m actually now writing THREE separate and distinct blogs. I’m doing I Used To Have Hair on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays…I’m doing To Travel Or Not on Tuesdays, and What’s YOUR Guilty Pleasure on Thursdays. I just feel inspired to write again…which is pretty awesome because it was starting to feel like work for awhile. It’s exciting to have new things to write about and not be pigeon-holed by one particular genre or topic. Oh…and you can stay up-to-date on all my blog posts by “liking” me on Facebook!

I love this new city that I’m living in. I told myself for three years that I would never move here because I hated it so much. I found reason after reason to not like it, when in fact I was only trying to give myself an excuse to not move here. As it stands, it’s been two months so far and I’m loving the city life. I love the little restaurants and cafes, I love the hustle and bustle, I love walking through the downtown…I’m just finding myself finding reason after reason to love the city that I’m in.

I’m loving the opportunities being presented to me here, too. For example, I just finished having a business meeting with a photographer who does amazing work with his pictures and is becoming quite the in-demand talent around these parts. Because Sunshine and I initially bought a piece of his when he first started,  and because I followed-up with him after starting my new job, he has decided to present a business opportunity to me that others in the city would love to have. I can now say that I’ve got a friend who is an in-demand artist/photographer. This is one of my favorite pieces of his:

Chrome by Nigel Beck

I also re-connected with a friend from high school who is now a professional musician and theatre actor. That might be lame to some, but it’s pretty cool to me…especially considering how few friends I’ve had over the past ten years outside of work. I’ve been a loner, and it’s such a crazy feeling to “spread my wings” and begin living life all over again.

And I guess that’s really how I’ve been feeling lately; as if I’m just beginning to live my life. My previous forty years on the planet have only gone to prepare me for REALLY living life as of right now. Every day since moving here has been better than the day before. Every day I’m more in love than I was the day before. Every single day I’m enjoying life more than the day before.

Am I making this clear enough? I’m just one happy dang guy right now and I never, ever thought it would be THIS good. Life, my friends, is a happy song indeed…especially when there’s somebody by my side to sing along.