Sometimes Travel Helps You Remember Who You Are

I've had an amazing five days in New York City.

Every time I travel, I live a new little life.

This trip had two components:

Living the NYC life of my choosing and living into the business of my creation.

My first day was all about being a newb in the city.

It was just like my first visit back in 1988 when I was a clothing buyer.

I got off the plane and hopped into a cab. He asked if I was the Homecoming Queen. My driver proceeded to give me the full tour of NYC and my taxi bill was over $100.

In 1988.

Oops!

There's been a lot of water under this bridge since then.

Many flights.

Hundreds of cab rides.

Hotels with giant brass keys and hotels with people f*%king in the bed when I unlocked my door.

Thankfully I've advanced since then and so have my hotels!

But my taxi skills...

Upon landing, as I was opening my Uber app, a driver in a sleek black Lexus said, "I'll drive you for the same price as Uber."

"Perfect!"

He called me Miss America.

De ja vu.

I loaded my luggage and started off into the city before realizing this might not actually be a cab.

This might just be a guy at the airport.

On my first night, I met my friend Liz.

We've known each other for three years but have only been together in person twice.

Which is funny when you consider how much of a person's life can be shared across a screen.

I know the layers of Liz.

But being with her at a table with the city buzzing around us, there is something special about sharing a meal.

The next morning, I visited Patience and Fortitude at The New York Public Library.

IYKYK.

Then I spent time with some of my oldest and dearest friends in the world:

Books.

Miles and miles of them.

Stories.

Ideas.

Questions.

Possibility.

Then Bryant Park.

Then walking.

Listening.

Walking.

Drinking it all in with thirsty eyes.

What inspiring history!

What gorgeous faces of many shades!

What incredible engineering feats!

What energy!

I wandered.

I noticed.

I remembered.

I attended a coaching event at The New York Times Center with 200 of the most giving, ambitious, self-aware people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

And while the speakers were incredible, what moved me most was the room itself.

The conversations.

The courage.

The dreams.

The willingness to keep becoming.

And somewhere between the lions at the library, getting lost on city streets, reconnecting with friends, and sitting in rooms full of possibility...

I remembered one of the little lives I've lived before.

So maybe not Julie Reimagined.

More like Julie Remembered.

The one who wanders.

The one who...

WONDERS.

The one who fully expects magic around the next corner.

And here's something that might surprise you.

Not one negative experience.

Not one.

No one scowled at me.

No one bumped me in the shoulder.

No one treated me poorly.

No one made me feel unsafe.

Not once.

Now before somebody jumps in and tells me all the reasons New York is dangerous, broken, expensive, crowded, unfair, or complicated...

I know.

The world is more than willing to demonstrate its brokenness, injustice, and unimaginable greed.

And yet...

There is also kindness.

Conversation.

Beauty.

Friendship.

Generosity.

Wonder.

I'm not naive enough to believe there won't be hard times.

I've been navigating some of my own for a while now.

But there is an immense amount of good out there, Darling.

An immense amount.

And sometimes, when you go looking for it...

you find evidence everywhere.

Both are true at the same time.

If you enjoyed this post, join my inner circle of people on a mission to design a life they don’t need to escape from!