Bonnie Gross

It seems that another year has passed. Not only is my birthday today, but in 3 days we will finish another revolution around the sun and toast champagne to 2020. Every year on my birthday for the past 3 years, I have written a blog post while waiting to board a delayed flight to Orlando from Philadelphia. Each time I get sentimental because of the time of the year. We are supposed to list out our goals for the new year and reflect back on how we did this past year. It’s hard to judge, when so much has changed just within the past couple months.

This year feels a bit different. Maybe it’s because it’s the first year that things actually start to get worse as you age. At 25 I could rent a car and my car insurance went down $40. Now at 26, I have to get off my parent’s really great insurance and get my own high deductible BS plan. Also, I’m just tired, all the time. I guess I really just need the new Adele album or something to get me through the new year.

What I am finding to be the most difficult is the constant change. The moving around, the uprooting, and the traveling. I swear no matter how many flights I have been, I never have enough miles to get anything for free and I’m just constantly in debt. If you read my prior blogs, you will know at the beginning of this year, I was working a night shift (4pm-midnight) and then gradually in the spring, I went back to 9am-5pm with a promotion. Things were finally starting to balance out. I had my routine down and I even found a yoga place in LA I could afford once a week. Then I was offered a job as a comedy writer/producer in Birmingham, Alabama. In October I packed up all my things, drove cross-country, took a risk and started over yet again.

I think we as humans are like trees. When we enter a new environment, there is little keeping up standing still. Most of the time you don’t have friends, family, or any communities. It seems as if a simple gust of wind could easily move you to another nearby forest. Then a couple weeks go by and you start to get situated in your new apartment, hanging up photos and artwork, and you finally get comfortable at your new job. A couple more weeks go by and you start to meet some new people your age, and take the leap to leave your apartment on a Saturday night. Suddenly the roots grow a bit deeper in the ground, stabilizing your base within the forest. As time went on I didn’t realize how big my roots had started to grow in Los Angeles, until I uprooted them from the ground and planted my tree in a completely new city. The good news is that it has been a couple weeks for me and my roots are slowly taking place, at least enough to hold me steady if a strong wind (or perhaps tornado in Alabama) swings my way.

So now I sit again in the Philadelphia airport with my free birthday Starbucks drink, typing away at how I think the past year has gone by. In an essay I wrote for the UCLA Professional Program application, I wrote that “scar tissue was like the knots in wood; nature’s way of dealing with stress put into a system.”  At the time I was talking about overcoming a recent surgery, but now I see it as more than just scar tissue. As humans we adapt to whatever scenario we are thrown into. No matter the stress put in our system, we find a way to adapt and grow even stronger. In a small-scale way, I am just another person trying to figure out what I want in life, but growing even stronger with every change. So here is to another year of big changes not for myself, but hopefully for everyone out there reading!

For anyone who follows me on Facebook or Instagram, you may have already seen my ongoing challenge #52thingstodoinbham. Every week I have to do something you can only do in Birmingham, Alabama that I have never done before. This can include everything from food, drinks, hiking spots, museums, or even just points of interest. Although I would love to do one thing every week, it has been hard with the holidays and weddings taking up some of my weekends. I am already at #day11 of the challenge and I can honestly say it is helping so much to learn my new city. Not only am I going to all different areas of the city, but I am learning so much about the city and its history. Feel free to go check out the hashtag, share the posts, and send me any tips for things to do around the Birmingham area.

Now I must go board my flight, but until next time please enjoy this photo of me getting a bit tipsy and joining a zydeco band with a washboard and spoons on Bourbon Street…