"So, what brings you to Fort Collins?"

Pretty much everyone I've talked to during the past 2 weeks has been a complete stranger. This means I get to (have to) explain myself over and over and over... eventually they always come to the same question:

"So, what brings you to Fort Collins?"

And then I create some combo of the following phrases:

• My roommates will be grad students at CSU
• The job market is way better (which has yet to be proven)
• I needed a new adventure

"Oh wow, that's really brave."

...brave? I mean, I'm no vampire slayer (any guesses what my latest Netflix binge has been?), but thanks for noticing. 

Two weeks didn't sound like a long time when I found out that's how long I'd be out here alone, but it has been quite the experience. Sure, Tyler was here to help me move in, and then I spent my first weekend in Denver with Kursten, but it has been me, myself, and I since last Monday.

I've had several run-ins with my shoulder guys this week. For those of you living without a working knowedge of Emporer's New Groove references (and I use the term "living" loosely here), this means that those little voices inside my head have been at war in my brain. 

"You need to get out there and experience life!"
"Stay inside and lock the doors!"
"Over 300 days of sunshine - go bask in it!"
"Netflix!"
"At least clean something"
"Netflix!"

After spending Sunday as a hermit crab, I decided to sign up for a guided nature hike on Monday morning, thinking it could be a way to meet people. When I woke up this morning, it occurred to me that 9:00am on a Monday is not when young professional adults go on hikes - they're at work, contributing to society. Oops. Despite my shoulder devil coaxing me to forget it and stay home, I grabbed my waterbottle and headed out. 

Sure, I spent the morning hiking with the chattiest 70-year-old man I've ever encountered. Thankfully he couldn't keep up, so I only had to endure his ramblings when our guide decided to wait. Sure, the guide was a middle-aged woman, and not the strapping young nature man I'd envisioned, but she was good for conversation and her husband used to live in Rochester! For whatever reason, I have a lot of experience making small talk with old people - and they're always the least intimidating option. 

After a quick stop at the library for a new book (which I will make myself read in the park) and an ice cream cone (because I'm an adult and I can have ice cream for lunch if I wanna and this is absolutely how my mother raised me), I returned home - triumphant in my comfort-zone-breaking-ness. 

Am I on a solo backpacking trip through South America? No
Am I living in hostels and working odd jobs in Europe? No
Have I landed my dream job with fabulous benefits? No
But I'm out here and I'm living life the best I can... and maybe that's brave after all.