Life Has a Way of Working Out

If you had asked me six months ago where I wanted to be at the end of the year, it wouldn’t have been here. I would have told you that I was leaning toward moving back to New York City so I could do my job as a beauty brand manager better. I would have told you I wanted to wrap up my bucket list trips in Europe before heading back to the US to be closer to family and friends.

But as we all know, that’s not how this year worked out. For any of us. The pandemic hit the world in March, and everything changed. I lost my job working for a company I had helped build from day zero, and it broke my heart. All of the travel I dreamt of and planned for was canceled. Any chance of visiting my family who is spread all across the world was halted.

I’m not going to lie. As we sat inside for those months, I struggled. Uncertainty and lack of control are two things I’d rarely had to deal with before the pandemic. I didn’t know if I’d find work again. I didn’t know what I wanted to do next. And I didn’t know where in the world we’d be living by the end of the year.

But life has a way of working out the way it’s supposed to. In the past few weeks, many of the uncertainties that I faced were resolved. Last week I started a new job. I am working freelance for an oncology advertising agency, proof that keeping your network alive is important. It’s been an adjustment, but I’m happy to have structure and a sense of purpose to my days.

Jon and I also made the decision to remain in Amsterdam for at least another year. By the middle of the pandemic, Jon and I were leaning towards returning to New York. We figured it would be easier for me to find work, and we wanted to be closer to family with all that’s been happening. But over the past month, we’ve watched things go from bad to worse in the US. A trip to France to clear our headspace made us realize that we would be better off spending a little more time abroad. This will hopefully give us the chance to check the remaining bucket list trips off our list, while remaining where we feel safe and comfortable at the moment.

It’s really easy to get caught up in the thick of things and forget that life has a way of working out. But I’ve seen it time and time again. When I was forced into retirement from figure skating, life worked out so that I could strengthen my relationship with Jon and start my career. When I lost my first job in Amsterdam, it lead me to an opportunity to launch a brand that I would never have taken before. And now, this pandemic has given me a different perspective on life, a new job, and the opportunity to enjoy life as an American in Amsterdam a little longer.

Whatever you’re struggling with in this upside down world, I encourage you to hold onto the idea that life has a way of working out.

It just takes a little patience.

Xx, Kelsey