With each hurdle I overcame the last two months since I first got the job offer, I have felt my anxiety slowly fade away, my mind calm, and peace take over. My last day in Birmingham and successfully getting myself to Atlanta yesterday was one of those hurdles.
Yesterday was quite the first day here. I made an early start with a car packed fuller than any of the other loads - I might have underestimated how much I had left (or at least not budgeted space for all my work stuff). Fortunately, I do still have to go back to clean at some point in the next six weeks before I turn the keys in so there will be another chance to get the rest.
My car was unloaded and plugged in by 11:00 a.m. (in the new time zone) giving me lots of day to enjoy. First, I went to find my local branch of the library to get a library card. It's right near the art museum and the Presbyterian church I plan to check out this morning, so I wandered that part of the neighborhood a bit. There is so much to see in Midtown, every street takes me somewhere new with new experiences and new things to see. I use my maps app to point me in the right direction and then I just walk. At one point, I was handed a felt fortune cookie with a suggestion for sharing joy inside. Mine encouraged me to take an elder out for lunch or coffee.
For lunch I wanted to try the Spanish tapas bar which is located in a really neat social space. It's like an outdoor mall of food and drink with open space in the middle to sit, socialize, play games on the lawn space, etc. And it has all kinds of restaurants, many with outdoor seating as well as outdoor coffee, wine, and cocktails bars. The food, vibe, Spanish wine list, etc. of the Spanish tapas bar was excellent. And I got to step back in my memories of my college study abroad experience as I savored tortilla española.
I spent some time in the afternoon unpacking, napping, and then dressing for my evening. Before I even had an official start date for my new job, I had purchased a VIP ticket to the Summer Party at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. I love how it ended up falling on this weekend to celebrate the start of this new chapter.
The party was so much fun. The Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra had both a string trio and a brass quintet. Both were so enjoyable to listen to in the wooded area of garden. A New Orleans style brass band played in the Skyline Garden and then lead us on a parade through the garden just as the sun was setting. The band near the VIP lounge had a male vocalist along with a variety of instruments that payed music that was easy to listen to.
I had fun decorating a lantern that I carried around as it started to get dark. A face painter painted a butterfly on my face to match the ones I wore in my hair. There was a lady that felt like a kindred spirit with the most magnificent dress. It was a white color that was short in the front but so long in the back that it dragged on the ground. The front had a huge butterfly at the waist. And then along the hem of the back of the dress were 3D flowers and butterflies that even had lights she turned on when it got darker.
Then as it was ending and I was tired, I walked through Piedmont Park. There were still plenty of people out - e-bikes racing, couples walking, etc. And as I passed by the other building of my apartment complex, a man on his patio complimented my lantern. I kind of chuckled as I continued walking because I realized carrying a paper lantern may attract compliments but it didn't feel out of place in Midtown where diversity and uniqueness are so common that just about anything seems to fit in.
What a truly amazing kick off to this new adventure I have embarked on in my life.
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