I think today marks 3 years of being nicotine free. I’m so glad I quit smoking. I remember a time when I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to quit.

I grew up about 90 miles West of the Twin Cities in a small town of around 20,000 people. My parents would take my brothers and me to the Cities pretty often. I will never forget the feeling I’d get as soon as the skyscrapers and lights of downtown came into view. I could feel the energy of the city pulsating within me and I loved it. I felt so drawn to that energy and knew someday I’d have to live in Minneapolis.

I’m now 30 years old and I lived in Minneapolis for the past 4 years. I love the city, but the energy I once felt has dissipated. It’s no longer this big, wondrous place I can’t wait to explore. It’s changed. It’s become much more comfortable and has a rhythm that really resonates with me, but it doesn’t hold the allure it once did.

New York has that excitement. It’s got the energy of Minneapolis I craved as a young boy, but on a much grander scale. I really want to take some time to explore this city. To find an array of interesting opportunities to learn from the city and the people who inhabit it. I’m really hoping to be able to do that over the next few months. I don’t have a long time I can devote to it, but I can definitely come back. I will call this city my home and the experience will change me.