Knowledge is Power, Right?

Hey friends!

This post is somewhat random, but let's be honest, all of my posts and probably this entire blog are random, so who cares. I have learned quite a bit since moving down here; some were surprising, some not so much. Learning about these things has made my transition and settling down much more interesting and honestly has taken me out of my comfort zone in some cases. I am sure that there are more items to list and I very well may do a part 2 post at some point. Until then, we are sticking with what I have listed....enjoy.

1. Central air is the most amazing thing on the planet and I have a new appreciation for it. I do not need to go into much detail or explanation about this since a). we know that Florida is hot and b). central air is everywhere you go inside and is the key to survival in the summer. I will say, I am excited for the winter months here to be able to turn off the central air and open all windows and pretend I am in Maine during the fall (fingers crossed).

2. The four seasons are a privilege to experience or at least in my opinion. This may be the thing that I miss the most since moving. Fall is hands down my favorite season and in my option the best season (I dare you to disagree with me). It gets cooler, fall clothing is without a doubt the best attire (cue all the cute sweaters, bean boots, and chunky clothing), the leaves changing is absolutely epic (a bucket list for all humans should be peeping the leaves in New England during the fall), apple picking and the list could literally go on forever. This does not happen in Florida and/or it does not feel the same. Granted, I have really only experienced the stupid hot summer season and now I am in "fall" season, but I know that the winter season is not going to occur. If it ends up snowing down here that will most certainly be a global warming situation or Mother Nature is having a moment. I truly have never really appreciated experiencing the seasons (fall in particular) until I no longer can. P.S. if you wanted to email me all the fall things that you are currently doing/experiencing so I can live vicariously through you, I would not hate it...

3. Tornado warnings are real and emergency kits are literally essential. The first time you get an email warning you about a potential tornado moving through in the afternoon certainly makes your heart fall to your butt. Only experiencing blizzards and maybe a decent thunderstorm, I went into instant 'oh crap what do I do" and started asking all my colleagues to help a sister out. Similar to how I am chill about snowstorms happening and not thinking they are a big deal, the same vibe down here with crazy rainstorms and tornado warnings. Two things came to mind: I am so happy my office has no windows and I will 100% make emergency kits for my office, car, and apartment. Stay tuned for a post about that.

4. Maintain your hobbies, and if you don't have any..start one. I made the realization probably in the spring when I was still in Maine that I actually don't have any hobbies. I was getting really stressed with work and started seeing a counselor (highly recommend therapy) and we talked about what I do to relieve stress, keep myself busy, etc. aka. do you have any hobbies? I kid you not, the only thing that came to mind was "does walking romantically up and down the aisles of Target and/or binge-watching The Simpsons or Bob's Burgers with my cat count as a hobby?" The answer is technically no. I joined a gym in Maine and would go there after work and participate in group sessions. It was awesome. Of course, had to stop doing that since I am no longer there. Back to square one. Getting hobbies has been something I am trying to do to keep me busy and honestly, that is one of the purposes of this blog. The other thing I am starting to get into is my interpretation of bullet journaling. It's a color-coding obsessed person's dream. Let's see how long I can keep them going.

5. Have an outlet to relieve stress, anxiety, and decompress. I am a huge advocate for therapy, talking to someone, or having some sort of outlet to help with your stress/anxiety. It can look different for everyone. If going to therapy is not necessarily for you, that's fine. I tend to have a love-hate relationship with therapy, mostly based on the counselor I have. I have seen a handful of counselors for various reasons (career-ending injury and having an identity crisis, bus accident, and just random panic attacks). Some experiences were great, others were not. It is honestly a trial and error process until you find the right counselor and style for you. I also find relief by listening to podcasts or music while going for walk and just talking to people (like word vomit style). I have tried the whole working out as my outlet thing, but let's be honest, working out sucks (I know it is good for you) so I am envious of those who can do that. Kudos to you. Basically, try and find something that gives you comfort and lets you escape any stress you are dealing with.

6. New Englanders have accents (and I am not talking about the Boston/Massachusetts kind). This is definitely something I did not know I had until coming down here. I still don't understand but I have heard from students, colleagues, and other people that I have a New England accent. Now I am sure there is one but how people explain it to me is just hilarious. They will start off saying, you totally have an accent but it's not strong like Boston but it's not so subtle that we can't hear it but there is a bit of a New England twang, so yeah you have an accent. I'm sorry what?! Haha. I'll take their word for it.

7. There are many connections to New England and Maine here. I have met so many people either from New England or have a connection to New England; many with Maine connections and University of Maine connections. It has been amazing making that connection with someone when I feel so far away from there. These are not even the snowbirds, which makes it awesome. Just imagine how many there will be when those lovely snowbirds come down. But then I also have a mini panic attack about how that means even more people will be in Florida. THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE IN FLORDIA. WHY?!

8. Take yourself on mini-adventures. Mini-adventures are a great way to get out of the house (I can easily spend my entire time at home binge-watching either Bob's Burgers, Ghost Adventures, or whatever and scrolling TikTok. Thanks, pandemic for helping me realize how much of an introverted homebody I am) and get to know the area better. I have been slowly doing this in New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach, and DeLand, which are really cool towns/cities (whatever they are). I try to go on a mini-adventure each weekend. I treat myself to a Dunkin iced coffee (yes I am a basic white chick and get all the pumpkin flavors and pretend it's 40 degrees out) and start a true-crime podcast episode. It's amazing and plan on posting more photos on my Instagram and possibly some posts dedicated to these. Stay tuned.

Look at you getting to the end of the list. Thanks for sticking around. I hope you enjoyed reading and like always, let me know if you have any topic ideas for me that you would like to read about as I continue to learn about the area.