I started and ended the 2010s in different cities - I began the decade living in Los Angeles; midway, I moved back to San Francisco to live with my mom and at the end of the decade, my mom and I made the move to fabulous Las Vegas.
January 2011, I decided to embrace both a selfless and selfish kind of love. I started focusing on myself ...discovering life on my own …meeting new people, learning a new language (japanese), learning how to dance salsa and lindy hop, taking up sewing, crocheting, calligraphy, bookbinding …you name it, I tried it. I started making goals for myself again.
After attending Camp Hollywood as a first time spectator in July 2012, I intended on returning as a performer the following year. My goal was to choreograph a salsa/lindy hop routine and perform it. It didn’t matter that I was an amateur in both forms of dance - I had to do it. So, I manifested a dance partner January 2013, who had a salsa/lindy hop background and was willing to try my crazy idea and choreography. Together, we made it all happen by September 2013. My number one bucket list item for 2013 had been checked off ...and it felt great.
Moving back to San Francisco in 2014 was not easy for me because I had fallen in love with Los Angeles after 14 years …the weather, the creativity, the cool places to hang out, the awesome food, the friendly people …oh my! ….Ironically, I had left my heart in LA.
I’m grateful that I was born and raised in San Francisco, but the city I grew up in had drastically changed. The best years in San Francisco will always be prior to 2000.
By January 2016, I had succumbed to my new life where I felt I had unintentionally traveled back to in my delorian …I remember thinking on October 15, 2015, Seriously?! …am I really here?! But on a positive note, I was inspired to rebrand my social media profile from Tiadee/TiadeeToo to Cotodi [coto-dye] and dream of a new future.
I believe that everything happens for a reason and I’m not surprised that my mother and I ended up living in Las Vegas. See, I had been thinking about moving to Las Vegas since 2013/2014 after I read an Inflight Southwest Magazine article on Tony Hsieh and Zappos. I was inspired by his vision of downtown Las Vegas. So, although I didn’t know how I would ever move to Las Vegas at that time, the *hows* presented themselves over time …synchronicity was already in motion.
Here’s a quote from Slash of Guns N’Roses: “Once you’ve lived a little you will find that whatever you send out into the world comes back to you in one way or another. It may be today, tomorrow, or years from now, but it happens; usually when you least expect it, usually in a form that’s pretty different from the original. Those coincidental moments that change your life seem random at the time but I don’t think they are. At least that’s how it’s worked out in my life and I know I’m not the only one."
I’d like to add that those coincidental moments that change someone's life are called meaningful coincidences ….synchronicity at its’ best. So! Moving back to San Francisco to live with my mom in 2014 was not random. The universe knew I had to be there for my mom in 2018 when she needed me the most.
Discovering my Meyers Briggs type towards the end of the decade also helped me to tie the loose ends in understanding and accepting myself. Why I fight so hard. Why I love so hard. Why I don’t look for love and wait for it to happen organically (there’s beauty in the waiting - the next total solar eclipse will be amazing). Why I choose to have a select few that I call friends. Why I enjoy being alone most of the time. I’m a dreamer, an idealist, as well as a realist. I’m a dark horse, who understands and cheers for other underdogs. I am Yoda and the Hulk all in one …and because of this level of understanding, I now I feel comfortable in this complex world ...I was to able to hear Las Vegas whispering fearlessly to me: “It’s time!"
I no longer miss Los Angeles. Vegas has given me and my mother the opportunity to start over and create a whole new life that’s filled with mini adventures - there’s lots to do here for the two of us and it has become not only our playground, but our foothold.
So with the roaring 20s anew, I’ve been thinking and sensing my 1 year, 2 year, 5 year and 10 year. Although I’m highly aware that life can throw curve balls at any given time, the idea is to carry on through these pauses. Feeling is the secret. …and I’m feeling anchored in Las Vegas …what I lost in Cali in the last decade, I have regained in Nevada. With this new found base, I feel ready to create my future.
“What you feel deeply is far more important than what you are thinking. You may think about doing something for a long time and never do it, but when you feel something deeply you are spurred to act – and God acts! He who is the cause of all life acts through the sense of feeling. You can think of a thousand things, yet not be moved to act upon one of them. A deep conviction – felt, is far more important than anything you could ever think.” ~ Neville Goddard
My 2020 to 2029 intentions:
ONE YEAR PLAN: 2021
• kicking ass at my new job as a graphic designer
• taking classes to further my graphic design and photography skills
• creating, developing and sustaining a passive income stream
• creating and developing more surface design collections
• finding a platonic male friend/dance partner, who loves both salsa & lindy hop
• buying a new canon or sony mirrorless camera and lenses to compliment
• seeing one las vegas show per month for fun
• eating and drinking more greens
• paying down my credit card
TWO YEAR PLAN: 2022
• having a cohesive surface design collection and collections
• finessing my photography
• collaborating ideas with a dance partner
• credit card paid off
FIVE YEAR PLAN: 2025
• licensing my designs
• traveling to dance festivals with a dance partner
• buying a mini cooper again
TEN YEAR PLAN: 2029
• be ready for new love
• retiring early and working from my home part-time.
I’m definitely excited about the possibilities.