Matters of the Heart

Let love in

by Katie Welker

In the popular sitcom Sex & the City, there’s an episode centered around when Carrie says, “don’t forget to fall in love with yourself first.” And as I walked from the train and into work today, that one liner was repeating itself over and over in my head.

For those of you who really know me, and maybe even those who don’t, i’m a very confident young woman. I’m proud of who I am, what I stand for, and am so grateful for the people in my life who helped get me here. In a nutshell: i fell in love with myself a long time ago, and I have no intention of that ever changing.

However, the question that popped into my head was, “and then what?”

Despite the inevitable continued growth and change that life brings, what happens after you fall in love with yourself and are happy with the person you are?

Then what?

Maybe the answer to this one really is as obvious as it sounds. Maybe the next logical step really is this: let someone else enter your life who can love you just as much as you love yourself.

Maybe that’s it. Maybe that’s next.

Let love in.

The flip side

by Katie Welker

I’m sitting on top of my kitchen countertop typing and am in awe that i’ve been living in Chicago for two months now. And as if my life were the movie I always claimed it should be, “Vienna” by Billy Joel just came up on shuffle. If you’re unfamiliar with this song, give it a listen below. It’s my all-time favorite, and applicable to the scene i’m setting right now.

And as I take a moment to “slow down,” my mind immediately hits a state of exhaustion. In the last eight weeks i’ve jumped head first into a brand new career, introduced myself to strangers who are now friends, found the Bills bar where I can shout like a lunatic on Sundays, and (obviously) found my donut, ice cream, and macaroon shops of choice, among many other great little discoveries.

There’s always a flip side to the perks, though.

Packing up my life into a U-Haul brought with it a set of growing pains that I didn’t anticipate. I cried like a baby when I missed my niece’s 7th birthday, am no longer an hour drive away from my mom and sisters, and have yet to figure out how to keep my hometown relationships strong despite the distance. Honestly, it can be quite a bitch.

But that doesn’t mean my decision wasn’t worth it.

Because at the end of the day, there’s always going to be a flip side. There will always be a decision you left behind.

But i’ll tell ya what, in the past two months i’ve come to find that the best way to make peace with your decisions is to give them the full shot they deserve. Ride through the uncertainties, the questions, the doubts, and most importantly, the fears. Because once you can stand on the other side and say you’ve tackled those obstacles, you’ll be at peace no matter what you’ve decided.