I’ve left Austin for quite a few months now, I guess it’s almost half a year since I’ve officially had to leave (despite my visits that last a few weeks at a time). Regardless, I miss the energy, the food, and the people. It had it all.
Whilst in Miami late last week for a short visit, I found myself scrolling through google and facebook events to find “cool events” to attend and go to. Facebook events are a great way to find events in and around your city. Google and various calendars will have the more well-known events but certainly not the local unique ones.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was trying really hard to find a “cool event”, and am reminded of how ridiculous I may have sounded to many people who find joy in simply walking down the street and sitting in a restaurant. It was then I realized that I no longer had FOMO, but I simply was constantly on the prowl for “unique” events to attend.
I attribute this characteristic of mine to living in Austin. Certainly, I’ve always been interested and open to attend whatever goes thrown my way but living in Austin, I never had to seek out any events. They simply appeared on my facebook feed, or I heard about it through the grapevine around social circles. There is always something that I wanted to go to and that fit right into the “Keep Austin Weird” slogan. It was a blast, and those events keep Austin’s energy vibrant.
In reflecting upon the last few months in the places I’ve traveled, I noticed that I purposely sought out events to go to and when they didn’t exist, or the options were limited, I irrationally deemed that city as boring. I believe it does not come from a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), but more from a constant craving for new experiences.
This is generally a good thing, but too much of anything leads to tunnel vision. Each place, each city, everywhere I go has its charm and it’s unfair to expect the same vibe and activeness from all. In addition, we can easily lose sight of learning how to be with ourselves. We are our best selves. We cannot fully be with others and be our best selves unless we learn to love and be alone.
The first step to change is an acknowledgment, right?
So…. Joanne, how are you going to change? You may ask. Well, instead of finding something to go to every day, I will limit it to 2 or 3 times a week. The rest of the time, I will focus on myself. Grow my mind, build my health- physical and mental.
P.S. I did eventually find a dive bar in Wynwood Wall area with local artists performing open mic, spoken word, and a small market with local arts. It was a blast… no regrets!
Joanne Lam 