Right now, I feel like I can’t move forward without reflecting on my experience of living in New York. It’s as if I need to let the past two years catch up with the present.

For the first several months of this year, my life was moving with a speed that I could not keep up with… somehow, I survived the hectic days of working at The New York Times and earning a Ph.D. The week I flew back to San Francisco to defend my dissertation, I was in the midst of interviewing with Warner Bros. Entertainment. The day after my defense, I hopped on a plane to Southern California and completed two days of interviews. By the end of the week, I was exhausted but I had a job offer. My head was spinning as we spent the rest of the month getting ready to relocate to California.

With all of the activity, I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to New York.

I would like to do it now.

For many years, I have loved New York from afar. When I left in 2002, I knew would go back. I returned and had a chance to work for one of the most prestigious news organizations in the world. My intellectual capabilities expanded, I befriended brilliant colleagues, saw long-lost friends, and I explored parts of the city that I had missed.

It was a special time, but when it was time to leave, I felt it in my soul. I wanted space to breathe, some peace, and sunny days.

I’m three thousand miles away now. And this time around, I will admire it from afar… and not feel as though I need to be in it to appreciate it. It’s time for me to move forward and not be caught in between.