Good morning everyone! How is it already the second day of May?? This spring seems to be flying by for me. And I’m not sure that I like it…

When I was pondering what rosebuds to gather for my May resolution, I kept coming back to the fact that May will be my last month in Nashville – how is that even possible? After five years here, I’m faced with saying goodbye to a city – and people – that I love and consider my second home. Although I know that there will be many trips back to Nashville in my future, I may never again be able to call myself a Nashville resident.

So for the month of May, I am going to focus on Being Present. With the craziness of planning a 4-week trip to Europe, and packing up my apartment, and finishing my tasks at work, I don’t want to lose sight of the magic that is these last few weeks in Nashville.

I want to marvel at the green countryside I drive through on my way home from babysitting, with the windows down and country music blasting. I want to savor every last conversation, meal, and movie night with my roommates. I want to revisit old favorite restaurants, and cross a few new ones off of my list. I want to sit by our pool, and walk through Centennial Park, and spend one last night on Broadway, and one last afternoon at Bongo Java, have one more drink at Patterson House.

This town will always hold a special place in my heart. It is the place where I became an adult, where I made some of my closest friends, where I took chances, and learned how to win with humility and how to fail with grace, where I discovered my calling and began to form ideas about what I want from life, and how to get it. I would not be the person I am today without Vanderbilt, or without Nashville.

So May is about saying thank you, and about soaking it in. Too often we rush through life blindly, our eyes focused on the future. But life is about the here, and the now! Life is about being present and truly living.

And yes, I totally just got teary-eyed writing this love note to Nashville. I’ve never liked goodbyes…