Monday, 5/19/25: Talking about really big news (again!)

Happy Monday!

It’s a new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter.

Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday and some positive thoughts to get your week started.

Three Steps to a Happier Monday

Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.  

Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend? 

Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?

Step 3: What is my intention for this week? 

GRATITUDE: From my weekend, I am thankful for the friends I saw Friday & Saturday, calls with my mom and a glorious nap I took Sunday. 

TODAY: I am going to get a pedicure later today and I’m very excited to enjoy that while reading my book.

INTENTION: My intention this week is same as last week – focus on one day at a time. Going to be a big week! 

Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂

Meaningful Musings: We’re Moving!

Thank you so much for the encouragement and well wishes about our big news a few weeks ago! As I shared in that newsletter, writing about it felt so good after a whirlwind couple of months… and a whirlwind in more ways than one. Which brings me to the second big piece of news we have to share:

Matt and I are moving… to Indianapolis!

When we moved into our beloved, cozy Lincoln Park apartment in June 2023, both Matt and I had a feeling it would be our “last” apartment. It was so perfect for us (two young professionals in the city) and we loved the space so much. We couldn’t imagine finding another apartment we’d love as much, especially with the incredible rent we lucked into. Still, we were looking forward to the next step of buying a house, someday. So, we agreed we would stay in the apartment for at least two years and revisit in 2025.

Earlier this year, we began weighing our options (do we extend month-to-month to stay through the summer? Do we stay another year?), but when we found out I was pregnant in mid-February, the decision became clear. I know plenty of people who have babies in the city and thrive, or move after the baby arrives, but with our lease ending in June, all signs seemed to point to now being the time to make the leap (gulp!).

So, in early March we entered the world of first-time homebuying. We began looking at houses, and when Matt was in Indianapolis a weekend in mid-March, he FaceTimed me from one he thought “could be the one.” We put in an offer, it was accepted, and we officially closed on an adorable, green, 74-year-old house with a generously large yard in the Meridian-Kessler/Meridian Hills neighborhood of Indianapolis.

Indianapolis? Did I ever imagine myself living in Indy? Can’t say it was ever on my radar – until a few years ago. What I did know after living in Chicago is that I wanted to stay in the Midwest. I love it here! Then, I met Matt and learned about his experience growing up in Indianapolis, and it started to feel like a no-brainer.

It checked my box for staying in the Midwest, checked his box for returning home, and offered a big bonus for both of us: being close to family (Matt’s parents, brothers, and some extended family live there!). I’m still working on convincing my parents to become snowbirds and spend part of the year there – but until then, we’ll continue to cherish having a home base in Florida and plan lots of visits throughout the year, something I’ve gotten good at during my 9 years living apart from them in Chicago! Plus, I have extended family in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and I’m excited to be a little closer to them, too.

With the move, Matt and I are both keeping our current jobs – something we’re very grateful for. Matt will start going into his company’s Indy office, and I’ll be transitioning to full-time remote work, which will be an adjustment, but one I’m looking forward to.

While there’s so much to be thankful for and excited about, it’s also very bittersweet. We move at the end of this week, and I spent most of yesterday feeling emotional about leaving the city I’ve called home for the past nine years. On Thursday, when the moving truck pulls away, it’s going to be hard – emotionally and physically – to close the door on this chapter.

I recently read Rules of Civility and there’s a line toward the end of it, where the main character reflects:

“Life doesn’t have to provide you with any options at all. It can easily define your course from the outset and keep you in check through all manner of rough and subtle mechanics. To have even one year when you’re presented with choices that can alter your circumstances, your character, your course – that’s by the grace of God alone. And it shouldn’t come without a price.”

I am overcome with emotion when I think of all the ways Chicago has altered my circumstances in the past almost decade. Against its (now) familiar backdrop, I see so many versions of myself from over the years.

I’m thankful, though, that even with all the change, the city will always be here for me. Like a haven. At just 2.5 hours away, I can already see myself coming back a few times a year – sometimes by myself and other times to bring my son (!) to introduce him to my favorite places that have kept me company over the years. 

There’s so more I want to write about what I’ll miss about Chicago, and I will. Until then, I’m giving myself permission to feel both excitement and sadness – to look forward to what’s next, and to mourn what’s ending.

I’ll be taking the next few weeks off from writing the newsletter as we move and get settled, but I can’t wait to share more soon.

Onward we go!

That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this! 

Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan