Brattle Book Shop was my favorite! Boston is a great city for buying books on the cheap. I walked away with 5 books for less than $20. Never have I ever been able to do that!
What do you get when you have a million coffee shops, a half million bookstores, and a town of Ivy League Universities? If you answered Boston, Massachusetts, you either knew the answer based on the title of this post or because you have been there to see it for yourself. As someone who is always looking for the best caffeine, and the right words, Boston was exactly what I needed so I could take a break…from life.
Now, when I say life, I don’t mean that I was looking for an escape from it; I just mean that we all need to find ways to remind ourselves to live. By switching up the routine that is my typical every day, it was nice to get away for a bit with good company, and with good intentions. Note that this can be done in other ways other than traveling. Self-love, and doing something that is good for you can be done in a much cheaper way, and a lot closer to home. Traveling to Boston was just an idea my good friend threw my way, and I was all for a new adventure, in a place I was unfamiliar with.
I felt the need to get away because I have been in my head a lot lately, and I needed some kind of reprieve. It may just be the material I have been reading, and the information I have been seeking, but I have really started to tap into certain parts of myself that have been quite eye-opening. I have felt overwhelmed with some of the truth I have uncovered, and I thought that a distraction was much needed. Boston did just that for me.
We ate a lot of good food, but I definitely had more of a sweet tooth on this trip...as you can tell by the mean stare I am giving those cupcakes. LOL!
For those of you that don’t know, I moved away from the town I knew best about 7 months ago. In that time, I have learned a lot about myself… not all of it is good, but all of it is necessary. Getting to the bottom of why I am the way that I am has brought about some tough questions, answers, and realizations. With that said, it is also information that I will use to help me get better, seek the help I need when I need it, and most importantly, use it to become the person I was meant to be. Self-love, self-awareness, and self-preservation have become three of the most powerful tools used in my life. Understanding the parts of me that are self-destructive, self-sabotaging, and self-deprecating, are also three key factors when it comes to accepting ALL of who I am. This process can be challenging at times, and recently, I have even made the decision to finally seek out professional help… but that’s a blog post for another time. Boston just happened to be a part of that self-love piece that is so important, and getting away for a bit refueled me with an important lesson: We must take the time we need to experience life outside of our life.
It was fun walking through Harvard University! (Pretending that we were students there!)
I must include that I did not do this trip alone. Since moving, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with someone I already consider a good friend, and before this trip was over, we were already planning our next adventure. I knew from the beginning that it was the start of a beautiful friendship. Key reasons? She works in the field that I am passionate about, she is someone who shares the desire that I have to understand oneself, and I can openly talk to her about topics that I have never felt comfortable sharing with anyone else before. People! When you find someone who ‘gets’ you on a certain level, you find the time to involve them in your schedule, and include them in your life, because we all need people who understand us. Not to mention, she loves coffee just as much as I do, eating brunch that typically involves pancakes, reading books, AND working towards becoming her best self. (No, she is not accepting friend applications at the moment, BUT, you may be able to find your next bestie by swiping through BumbleBFF…that is where I found her! Lol!)
This trip had its own set of challenges, mainly involving public transportation, and having to learn a subway system. Which, at the end of the day, was very fun for me as it proposed a new kind of obstacle for me to focus on, but it was also very clear to me after this trip that I am grateful that it is not a part of my everyday life. I could not handle the anxiety that comes with subway shutdowns, bus detours, and the frequently used poles people use to hold on to when going from one stop to the next. To those of you that use a subway most days, MORE POWER TO YOU!
I did a lot of smiling this trip. Boston was good for the soul, and I can't wait for my next adventure!
Fun fact about this city… they run on Dunkin. Which was a culture shock to me considering I have always known Starbucks to be the Queen B as far as coffee franchising goes. Do not get me wrong, there was still a Starbucks on every corner, but there were about 4 Dunkin’s in between. Honestly, I feel like there was some kind of coffee shop 10 feet away from the last. As an open caffeine addict, I was in heaven, and I pretty much had a cup in my hand at all times. I regret nothing.
Overall, this trip was exactly what I was looking for: a way for me to get out of my head for a change, and a chance to remind myself of the things I usually take for granted. If you take anything away from this post, I hope it’s that you realize how important it is to give yourself a break. If you are anything like me, you spend a lot of time overanalyzing your life and worrying about parts that have yet to show up. When we are able to find opportunities to fill up on self-love, we should always take them. You don’t have to travel to a new city to take a break from life; you just need to have the desire to want what is best for yourself and recognize when a break would be in your best interest.
NEVER feel bad about taking a break from your routine. It’s within the breaks that make all that other stuff worth it.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate you!
Megan Lawrence
Boston was a beautiful city, and exactly what the 'doctor prescribed'.