Seeing as 2020 is definitely a living hell so far, I’ve chosen to start looking at some of the better things that have happened this year. One of those things has been moving out.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and my parents are amazing. But, I’ve also enjoyed having my own time with no familial responsibilities. My older sister and I both found ourselves moving back home when corona sent us all home, and after a few months together in quarantine, we decided to move into an apartment together. I can definitely say that finally moving out and being fully on my own has been such a whirlwind and educational experience.
In all honesty, my sister and I were really close growing up, but we hadn’t had as strong of a relationship after she left for college, so I was a bit nervous about it only being the two of us. If anything, moving out has brought us closer. Not only were we actually living under the same roof again, but we were also older this time. We both went through some interesting moments during the summer, and having my sister there to cry with me during the hard times was special. We laughed, we cried, and we worked through some family issues between us that led to an amazing relationship with my older sister.
Living on my own, I learned so many new things about who I am as a person. While stuck indoors and working from home, I was suddenly left with my own company for most of the day. That led me to actually start listening to my body and being more aware of myself. I always felt like a had a million things to do, and while I still feel that way, working from home without being able to leave my house much has let me take a nice breath of air. At the very least, I finally felt like I had a little more time to just be. And I will say, I did enjoy having a quieter house; I love my little brothers, but the giant age gap between us gets to me sometimes.
Hispanic parents tend to be a little overbearing and my own are no exception. They weren’t too happy about me moving out since as the oldest at home, I often helped them out with the kids. I felt guilty leaving because I knew my mom was going to struggle with my siblings, but my friends reminded me that I have to live my own life and can’t keep revolving it around helping my parents forever. I started realizing that they were right, as I had spent most of my life being my parent’s daughter, not my own individual.
Moving out was a breath of fresh air. I have been financially independent since I started working in high school, but learning how to actually manage more bills was kind of nice. I can make as much noise as I want in my house, leaving and going as I please, which I was unable to do before. I’ve started discovering who I am now that I’m not surrounded by my family, living in a city different than the one I was raised in.
If you need that final push to finally move out, then I’m calling you to take the leap.