More Normal

Yesterday I went to lunch with a couple of my co-workers who are also in the reporting line to my boss (co-workers: a 40 something black female & a 40 something hispanic female). I was working my networking skills with the lunch, but we ended up talking about my personal life (you know...the crazy, mixed up "in the 8 years I've lived in NO, I've dated every eligible man here...twice" kind of way). It came out that I'm moving to IA. They were both surprised!

"Congratulations?!" they each said in their own time, later asking me if this was a good thing. I reassured them that it is. I reminded them that I've lived in IA before (I lived there during my last college co-op with the company while I was in the process of my divorce from my "baby's daddy" 9 years ago), and that I wasn't scared because, "I've lived in (insert the name of the city in IA) before. I know there's nothing there." The sister asked me why I'm moving.

"Well, Liz, I've been here for 8 years, and about 2 1/2 years ago I had an experience that let me know it was time to go. Since I moved here, I've dated every eligible man in NO...twice! It's time for me to move on!" I shared my "bad date stories" with her and she agreed that it was time for me to move on.

I told her that I've never really cared for the culture here (beer for breakfast and that's okay...really?!), and IA seems to be a good place to raise a child (and it doesn't help that he's recently discovered girls). On top of the career stuff, I told her that the reason I moved to IA in the first place was to get away from my then husband. I wanted to move somewhere that I knew my now ex-husband wouldn't look for me, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. I had the option of starting my career in IA, but I chose NO becaue I was young, newly divorced, and looking for a good place to enjoy my singlehood but now (8 years and God knows how many emotionally unavailable men later), "I'm one good drunken weekend away from being ready to settle down." She laughed and said, "You may wake up with a ring on your finger! Be careful with that!"

In the recent shadow of my epiphany of the year that Carlos doesn't want to marry me, moving to IA after 8 years in NO is becoming more clearly the right thing to do. The fact that Shorty is now experiencing his first biochemical flood of emotions associated with liking girls in a place that practically betrothes youngsters makes the move to IA that much more a necessity. I just pray to God that the girls (and the men) that we meet when we get to IA are more normal, as opposed to the 6 sigma people we've met here.