I’ve been living a crazy lifestyle for the past 3 years and I’m still not sure if I love it or loathe it.

I am always traveling. As soon as I have unpacked my suitcase and finally done all of my laundry, it’s time to pack again. I am basically never in the same place for more than 60 days. And it’s usually way less than that. My home base is in Florida but I am still a native New Yorker who craves the energy and pace of city life every few weeks. I love being there, in the middle of it all, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t look forward to heading back to Delray Beach after spending a week or two in Manhattan. Nothing beats the culture and the excitement and the social interactions I enjoy in NYC, but walking on the beach in mid-winter – while NYC is enduring snow and hailstorms – does not suck.

As I’ve said before, I have learned to appreciate the polarities of my life – the crazy (and often exhausting) up, up, up of the big city and the relaxing (and sometimes frustrating) low of a quiet, simple beach town. But sometimes living such a double life is draining. It really takes a toll on me physically. Every round trip flight lends to an hour deep tissue massage. But the mental and emotional strain is by far the most difficult.

I struggle to maintain relationships with new people I’ve met in Delray Beach while working to find time to see all of my treasured longtime friends in NYC, while also striving to accept both places as HOME. These days, I often feel like I am being pulled in ten different directions (self imposed, of course) and get overwhelmed easily. Airports are boring and all too familiar. My favorite Elizabeth & James blouse gets left behind at the apartment in NYC but I really really need to wear it to an event in Delray tonight. I go weeks without seeing my adorable mini-dachshunds, Cody and Riley. These are not the world’s worst problems, but they are mine, and to me they are real. As I try to lay down solid roots in Florida, I find myself being beckoned again and again to NYC, at times for a good friend’s birthday or bachelorette and often for career oppotunities. I always make an effort to go. I hate missing a good party.

I’ve tried to reconcile this crazy situation I call life. Surely, things would be easier if I just lived in one place, right? The thing is, I’m just not ready to give either part of my life up yet.  Both places offer something entirely different but necessary. NYC is where I drink in fresh creative juice and get revitalized and inspired while Delray is where I come to let it all soak in. They are the perfect compliment to one another. If only they were 1000 miles closer….