taking a new path in life

Somewhere deep down inside of me lives a free-spirited bohemian chick. She loves to learn just for the sake of knowledge and changes her "career" just as the wind blows...

For the past two years, I have contemplated taking the road less traveled, and abandoning my academic career. Why? I think I've maxed out my scholarly aptitude - or at least in the way that I'm supposed to apply it, which is reading articles and writing papers. I've fiddled with the idea of launching a career as a writer (still wanna write that great novel someday), learning the craft of makeup artistry, becoming fluent in Spanish, as well as mastering the craft of interior design. Something low-pressure, something that saves me from my "save the world" tendencies.

Lately "coincidences" have been popping up... I was watching a show on TVOne where Malik Yoba was talking about wanting a woman who knew her purpose in life. He even went so far as to say that he would catch a woman on the dance floor and question her; if she hesitated, then she was unclear and that was all he needed to know to keep it moving. So I started thinking, OK, what's my purpose? Why am I unsure of the answer? Again? (I have an answer that I formulated about 6 years ago, which I will revisit in a later post.)

I also had a tarot card reading yesterday.... This "seer" predicted a move within the next year for me. I attributed this to finishing my Ph.D. program and taking one of the postdocs I applied for, if offered. She predicted a "change in team configuration" on the job. I also attributed this to leaving my lab and joining a new one in a postdoc. THEN she told me that I would be moving to Atlanta.

Huh?

Ever since that moment, I have been semi-obsessed with this thought. I'm not enthralled with Atlanta as the "Black Mecca" as other seem to claim it. The traffic is horrendous. The relationship scenario doesn't look too promising, if I gauge the response of the millions of single professional Black women who live in this city and cannot find a Black man to settle down with. However, I do think that there are a wide range of professional networks to explore, along with the chance to reinvent myself by taking a new path, so to speak.

I cannot tell you how many times Atlanta has come up. At one point last year, bestie and I had talked in passing about moving here. My former therapist mentioned that perhaps this might be a good place for me. Randomly, a guy I went to school with mentioned the same thing a few weeks ago. My girlfriend wants me to come so at least she doesn't have to be here by herself. And now this.

Am I supposed to be reading between the lines here? Or am I getting carried away and seeing what I want to see?