Joyeux Anniversaire New Orleans!

This past weekend marked two glorious years here in the Big Easy. This was the craziest decision I ever made, and possibly the best. I absolutely jumped in head first without testing the waters. And you know what? I highly recommend it.

I don’t recommend moving to New Orleans per say, but I recommend taking that plunge that’s been tugging at your shirt tail for the past few years. New Orleans is not for everyone, and that’s what I like most about the city. There are two types of people- people that “get” New Orleans, and people that don’t. The people that don’t “get” it probably thrive in places like Cleveland, Atlanta or Nashville. The people that don’t “get” it have only been here a handful of times and have probably never left the French Quarter. They tell their friends what a drunk, smelly, crime-ridden city this is. Yes, the French Quarter smells like ass and is usually full of wasted tourists. I mean, would you go to New York and only hang out in Times Square? Don’t go to New Orleans and only hang out in the French Quarter. But for those of us that enjoy long walks in City Park, and ferry rides to Algiers Point, and long bike rides around Uptown, this is a pretty magical city. Like the old saying goes, “If you love New Orleans, she’ll love you back.” Ain’t that the damn truth. Sometimes when I’m out running errands and I drive down a particularly pretty street filled with beautiful old homes, I’ll stop and think, “Wow. I live here.” This city has embraced me and showered me with food, drink, music, and wonderful hospitality. It’s also shocked me. The crime rate is way too high, and sometimes a story on the news stops me cold in my tracks. But I’ve never lived anywhere else where the people were so passionate and creative. We may disagree on musical tastes or whether Antoine’s is really even that good anymore, but the people of New Orleans truly come together for each other when it really matters. I’ve never seen that anywhere else.

Now what inspired this crazy jump off the boat? I was bored. I was sleeping, eating, working, repeat. No spice, no excitement. A few weekend trips here and there. But there wasn’t much to make me want to wake up super early on a Saturday and go explore. I mean, when’s the last time you were excited to wake up at 6 a.m., put on a crazy costume, and go stand on the street corner in the cold and rain just to try and catch a Zulu coconut on Mardi Gras day? That’s called living, people. These experiences are what make us rich. Days spent trying new things and meeting new friends and laughing are what make us passionate and lively people. A bigger house or a new car won’t make us happy. Time spent doing what you love with great people will bring you the most happiness. I’m most passionate about music, so I got lucky that the city I wanted to move to is pretty famous for it. I’ve met some of the coolest people at places ranging from Jazz Fest, to some rickety blues shack down in the Bywater. I’ve gone to every food and music festival I could go to. Sometimes by myself. (I’ll touch more on the joys of going on adventures alone another time)

So I encourage you to think about it. Have you always dreamed of quitting your job and starting a business? Why in the world haven’t you started?! How will you ever know if you can succeed if you don’t try? Have you been dating someone that you don’t really love, but he/she is so great on paper? Stop! What if the perfect person is waiting, but you’re staying in on Friday nights with Boring Bob watching boring basketball! A lot of people have the mindset that they’ll be happy once they have money, or once they’re married. Y’all know better than that. What if you end up living your whole life waiting for someone else to come make you happy? How boring! I had absolutely everything to lose and nothing to gain by staying where I was in a job I hated in a city that absolutely drained the life out of me. It was hard as hell to leave friends behind. But I don’t regret one minute of the past two years. I regret not doing it sooner! I hope you try and make yourself a priority and put your happiness first. You can’t be a good friend back if you’re not happy and living life to its potential. Life is short. And they always say you regret the things you didn’t do. Plus, I think we can all agree that happy people do a better job of minding their manners :)