Right now as I sit and type this, I’m on a long car ride to
a new place. A place that frankly I can’t even wrap my head around fully. A
little over a month ago, Adam received an amazing job opportunity with Ernst
and Young in San Francisco, California. The job alone was reason enough for him
to accept, but the idea of living on the West Coast and near the
Ocean made us willing to sell all our furniture, leave our puppy dog behind
(only for a month though), pack everything we could fit into a trailer and make
the car trip of our lives.
Friday was my last day as a resident of Nashville, Tennessee
and my last day at Panalpina. Adam hasn't been working for few weeks so he was
able to start the trip a few hours ahead of me with Landon and a U-Haul trailer
loaded with all our worldly possessions. They made their way to my Dad's house
for our first overnight stop. Once I was done working and tearfully said my goodbyes, I
went back to our house to load up the last of our belongings, including Kaiser, and headed there myself.
Leaving Nashville for the last time was really sad for me.
I lived and worked in Nashville, TN for only 361 days. Just a few days short of
a year, but despite the short time it was one of the richest years of my life.
I've learned so much during this year. So much about myself, work, life,
people, and relationships. It’s amazing what a difference a year can make! The
best of part of this (almost) year in Nashville was the amazing group of people
I got to know and work with. I've formed lifelong friendships and deeper bonds then I ever dreamed possible. As I sat in traffic after work I couldn't help but think of how much fuller my life has become since we moved there.
Many companies in America take pride in being "diverse", but Panalpina was the first place where I've truly experienced diversity. I've had the pleasure of getting to know people from all over the world and different walks of life. Each with unique and amazing life stories, experiences, outlooks, and personalities. I've learned from them, laughed with them, and sometimes at them. Although I feel like my time with them has been cut short too soon, I know that they've help me grow tremendously. It's impossible to explain how thankful I am for the opportunity to become a part of their lives. For a time, be it ever so brief, I gained a family and they will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope to never forget all the fun and laughs we shared during our time together.
My new family has also given me the confidence to continue on with the hope that I can meet even more wonderful people and that my life will become that much richer. At this point, that is hard to imagine, but I could have never have imagined what I was able to gain from Nashville. It hasn't even been a year since my family took a major step and started the process of following our dreams by leaving home and moving to Nashville. Even though it was only three hours from home, but it was a still a big step for us. Now, as we move 3,000 miles away it seems like no big deal. I'm not overwhelmed or worried about taking the risk. It doesn't even feel like a risk. Nashville gave me that confidence.
Many companies in America take pride in being "diverse", but Panalpina was the first place where I've truly experienced diversity. I've had the pleasure of getting to know people from all over the world and different walks of life. Each with unique and amazing life stories, experiences, outlooks, and personalities. I've learned from them, laughed with them, and sometimes at them. Although I feel like my time with them has been cut short too soon, I know that they've help me grow tremendously. It's impossible to explain how thankful I am for the opportunity to become a part of their lives. For a time, be it ever so brief, I gained a family and they will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope to never forget all the fun and laughs we shared during our time together.
My new family has also given me the confidence to continue on with the hope that I can meet even more wonderful people and that my life will become that much richer. At this point, that is hard to imagine, but I could have never have imagined what I was able to gain from Nashville. It hasn't even been a year since my family took a major step and started the process of following our dreams by leaving home and moving to Nashville. Even though it was only three hours from home, but it was a still a big step for us. Now, as we move 3,000 miles away it seems like no big deal. I'm not overwhelmed or worried about taking the risk. It doesn't even feel like a risk. Nashville gave me that confidence.
When I think of what this year has been for me, I think of a
quote by Mark Twain which says "Broad, wholesome charitable views of men
and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth
all one's life. It's amazing to think of all the things that had to come together for all of us to be at the same place at the same time. Getting to know each of them has been a great blessing.
So here’s to the end of another chapter, but to the memories
of a lifetime!
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