Oh, cleansing.

The thing is, I know it’s good for me. So I do it. And that knowing is what makes it manageable, for me. In the moments that are hard, and there are plenty of them, I’m able to acknowledge the benefits of the challenge, to recognize that as difficult as it might seem, the rewards are far greater than the anguish.

I always feel better after a cleanse. I need to feel better. So, I’m cleansing.

The second day is never very easy, yet today managed to be pretty great right up until the end. And even the end wasn’t all that bad, it’s just sometimes the day really needs to be over.

There are only 21 more sleeps in this house, unless we decide to start our road trip a few days early. Either way, three weeks isn’t enough time left in San Diego. There are many many things I’m more than happy to release during this cleanse, but San Diego isn’t one of them.

I’m not finished with this place, this quirky city by the sea, the town I had no intention of falling in love with as deeply as I have. This corner of the country feels like home, and I’m going to miss it terribly.

That isn’t to say I’m not excited about my next adventure. I am, more so than I expected. But I am positive there are chapters left to be written here in Southern California, I’m just not at all certain what they’re about.

An absolutely unbelievable amount of pieces to this relocation puzzle need to be organized in the very near future. Not to mention all the work that needs to be done in preparation for the upcoming school year. And, most importantly, there are some special memories that need making before we bid farewell to San Diego after five incredibly vivd and dynamic years.

The best and worst years of my life.