Louisville Love

I grew up next to a cornfield… Not even joking. The small town in Illinois that encompassed my childhood fit every cliché you could think of. There was one high school that thrived on football, everyone waved at each other, and our downtown was composed of 3 bars and 4 churches. Small town life defiantly had its advantages!  I was blessed to never have to fear for my safety. I got to play outside all the time in the grass and woods. I learned how to fish and canoe in the Hennepin canal which that lay right behind my childhood home. However, as a playful, creative, wide-eyed, wired girl I never really felt at home there. Growing up I wanted different, I wanted more diversity. I wanted to do different things, meet different people, and explore different ideas.

About 6 months ago I packed up my little blue Honda Fit for the 7 hour journey down to Louisville, KY.  I had just accepted my first “big girl job” and was so excited to finally start working in my field. Of course, I was also elated to be living in a bigger city where everything at my fingertips was new!

The new experiences Louisville had to offer me flooded my world immediately! New challenges were presented for me. I got my first taste of rush hour traffic and driving on roads with more than 3 lanes. I got lost… A lot. The second weekend I was in Louisville I went to the gas station around the corner from my house to fill up my tank and ended up witnessing a heroin overdose. There were days when I felt like maybe I would never adjust to living in an area with a population of more than 100,000. I spent the first month counting down the days until I could leave Louisville and go back to my small town comfort zone.

One day, about a two months into my Louisville life I realized I wasn’t giving it a fair chance. As uncomfortable as I knew it would be to get out and make myself venerable to the city, I knew I would never be happy going back to the Quad City Area.

Once I shed the preconceived notions I had about where I belonged and what I could handle I started to see Louisville in a whole new light. This place is bad ass, seriously! Louisville has the diversity I have been searching for. I’ve met so many beautiful people who are so different from me, and I’ve built amazing, quality friendships. There is a vibrant culture here that is outstandingly unique to Louisville. Living in Lou has given me the opportunity to grow in ways I never thought possible. Not only has my career blossomed here, but my personal life is continuously enriched by this city. I fit here in a way that I have never fit before.

In a lot of ways this short essay is a really a love letter to Louisville. Louisville has become my home and my heart beat. But beyond a love letter this is an example of how rewarding it can be to leave where you feel most comfortable and take the risk.

Do it! Take the risk! Don’t dull your sparkle for the sake of being comfortable!

#LouisvilleLove