~Hey Family!! I pray this week has reminded you, this is a lifetime journey, the work is never done. I’ve had an emotionally draining week, and I still can’t figure out exactly why. So, I need to walk through this with y’all! Ready to explore? I know I sure am! Indulge and Enjoy!~

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As most of you know, I’ve relocated to a new state. This week I had to surrender my New York driver’s license, in order to comply with state regulations. I also, have to transfer my vehicle license plates. It has been a pretty smooth process, however, after the woman took my New York I.D. a flood of emotions rushed over me.

See, prior to this, my time in my new home has felt like an extended vacation, (especially working from home). But, after being here almost a month, switching my license became a huge deal emotionally. Why? Great question. I’ve been asking myself this since it happened. Here’s what I came up with…

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I use to be a runner. Anytime an issue arose in my life, I’d run from it. All of my emotional scars, would never heal because I would constantly throw myself into another situation. I would become friends with people who had “bigger” issues than me, to block out my pain. It was my way of “coping”.

In 2016, I made the, very random and rushed, decision to move to Georgia. I was exhausted with life and felt leaving New York was the only way to “fix” how I felt. I knew only one person in Georgia at the time (my ex-boyfriend who had a girlfriend, now wife). Before ANYONE attempts to incorrectly narrate my story for me, allow me to share the circumstance.

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When I made the decision to move to Georgia, I was in a really muddy space mentally. Late 2015 I was dealing with a man, I met online (we’ll talk about this in a later journey). Everything was going really well, for the lifestyle I was living at least. Truth be told, everything happened way too fast. We never went on dates or anything. I would just pick him up, and we would go to a park, so he could smoke a blunt while I told him about my day.

By the end of our first-week seeing one another, We had planned for him to spend the night at my place (dangerous, I know). After that, he stayed every night. I became addicted to him. Addicted to the way he controlled my body. Addicted to the false sense of security he provided. Addicted to having him next to me at night. A full-blown addict.

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A few months into this relationship, or whatever you want to call it, he asked me to take him to Ithica the upcoming weekend. He claimed his Grandma lived there, but he didn’t know I overheard his phone call about a drug deal. I declined, saying I had plans, which I’m sure he knew was a lie. Truth being I wasn’t dumb enough to become his drug mule. But, that’s when everything changed for the worst.

He began to be very mean and violently aggressive. He was even more controlling and not loving at all. I had a stash of money, I stored in my bedroom (saving up towards moving out of state). He found it. He never asked me what it was for or anything. Every once in a while he would grab a few quarters and run to the store. Then the day before his trip to Ithica, I noticed all of the cash was missing. All $235!

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I called him, he didn’t answer. So, I hung up and called about 30 more times. Still no answer… I was furious!!!! I ran down the stairs jumped in my car, with a can of dog repellant (mace is illegal in New York), and sped to his job. (This is where I, now, realize I was losing myself.) I sat outside his job for about 45 mins, calling and calling. Taunting him to come out. He never came out but he called me back, cursed me out and told me I never meant anything to him.

I was heartbroken. In my head, I replayed every time he told me he loved me. Every event he sat through just because I wanted to do it. All the nights he layed up playing in my hair just to make sure I fell asleep before him. I had given him all of me. All of my body. I cooked, daily, for him. I drove him everywhere. I paid all the bills. The only time I had ever told him “No” was the whole drug trip thing… How could he not love me?

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Between the tears, remembering intimate details he told me, I’d plotted for revenge. I vividly remember skipping church that weekend. I didn’t really talk to anyone except one friend, and she made sure my fury outweighed my sadness. At some point that weekend, my runner mentality kicked in. I woke up that Monday, went to my job and asked them to transfer me. I explained to them, I was fearful of staying in New York because the mindset I had would lead me straight to jail.

You see, it was no coincidence I grabbed dog repellent on the way out the door. It wasn’t for my safety. I knew he had just had major eye surgery, a few months before meeting me, and if I sprayed him chances were he’d be legally blind FOREVER. I thank God for the pillar of angels He stationed around me that day. Wrapping this story up My job agreed to transfer me, but the only place available at the time was Georgia. I accepted and within 3 weeks I was gone. Most of my family had no idea it was happening until I was already gone.

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There you have it… No, I didn’t move to break up my ex and his girlfriend. I moved to continue running from my pain. And in doing, I created even more pain. Needless to say, I moved back home 6 months after leaving. The whole time I was in Georgia, I never switched my Driver’s License, therefore I never surrendered my New York residency, which made it easy to run back home. But here, in Kentucky, I walked away.

I walked away from running. I walked away from pain. I spent 3 years working on healing my wounds, some of them are not completely healed, but I’m no longer running. The emotion I felt surrendering my New York residency, now, resinates as joy, whereas originally I felt trapped. I have joy because I see the closure in my life.

When I left home this time, I wasn’t sad, I was excited. Even now, I’m super excited! I realize I don’t have to hold on to my New York residency because I don’t plan on returning home. Of course, I plan to visit, however, I don’t plan on residing there again. It’s a beautiful feeling to start a new journey, knowing there’s no negative baggage holding you back.

As always, feel free to ask questions and/or leave feedback in the comments section.

(All new journeys will be uploaded Saturdays by 12:30 EST)

I am BEAUTIFUL. I am PASSIONATE. I will LOVE.