How Moving to Telluride Changed the Way I See Myself

by: Shae LaPlace

About 5 years ago, I fell in love with Telluride Colorado. This past year, when my life started to feel stagnant, I knew it was time. No matter how daunting it may have seemed, it just felt right. Deciding to move to Telluride has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. A place that had always felt curiously like home. In the back of my mind, it was always there. There’s a sort of magic about Telluride, just a feeling that floats in the air. You breathe it in as you walk through town, or wander the trails into the San Juan mountains that surround you in every direction. The result? A release, a sense of deep relief, the kind you didn’t know you needed.  

I began by telling myself it was going to happen. Then, I told other people I was going to move there. Once other people knew, there was no backing out. I began to search for housing. Everyone told me this would be the hardest part. I was prepared for a challenge. I began my search, about 8 months before I wanted to move in. One day, something somewhere in the cosmos must have aligned. A message appeared in my Facebook inbox. A space was available, in my price range, and living situation that just felt right. That was it. 

With my housing locked in, I began to reach out to potential employers. I scheduled a trip to go see the house, and take job interviews. When I headed home from that trip with a place to live and two jobs. It was really happening. 

Fast-forward to today, I have been here for just shy of two months. All of the fears I had coming into the move have melted away. The feeling that I was lacking forward movement in my life, has changed to optimism, and a sense of endless opportunity. I wake up excited each day. I am surrounded by new friends whom I trust in the deepest corners of my heart. I spend time in nature that keeps my head clear and my focus strong. 

Of course this change has had its challenges. There have been days where I want to get in my car and drive back to Boulder, and cuddle up with the life, and friends that are so familiar to me. But those days come fewer, and gratitude, and excitement have become the overwhelming theme of my days. I have a new found sense of confidence in my ability to achieve my goals. Making the move here was something I thought was going to be too difficult to pull off. Knowing that I did it, and I did it well, has changed how I see myself. 

Moving my life and becoming a part of a new community where meaningful conversation is the norm, and the mountains are not only a backdrop, but a fixture of the culture. My self confidence and trust in my ability to accomplish my goals. Making this move has shown me the power I have over my own life. In turn, this experience and this place has changed the way I see myself, for the better. I can only hope to keep growing and becoming more empowered with each new challenge I face.