Ode to My Most Expensive Misstep (aka ATX)

How a year in Austin emptied my wallet but filled my soul—one expensive decision at a time.

Here’s to the year I kissed my savings goodbye—
Austin, you glorious trap, you whispered, “Come on in,”

I came with four suitcases, one bag, and a whole lot of nothing else, ready to start from scratch, but

Turns out, self-discovery has a price tag, and it’s not on sale. But oh, I was resilient! Who needs a solid financial plan, when you’ve got city lights, tacos, and a deep conversation with your own reflection?

And let’s not forget my apartment.
My first place, my own little sanctuary—
Decorated exactly how I dreamed it, because hey,
When you’ve been waiting 29 years to make a space your own, why not go big?
(Especially on groceries you’ll never cook.)
I mean, sure, my “taste” could drain a trust fund (that I don’t have). Hello, HEB—Whole Foods may be from Texas, but nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to you.

Oh, and Austin itself? Let’s be real—it’s a suburb playing dress-up,
Trying so hard to be a big city.
But I loved you anyway, with all your wannabe hustle and charm.
Your skyline, though? You can’t fool me.
I know you cry when you see the OG: Chicago.
Let’s be honest—The Independent is cute,
But next to those Chicago giants, you’re just a little bro in the shadow.

You took my money and my sense,
But gave me a strange, deep love for starting over.
For building something out of nothing,
For embracing the ridiculous beauty of it all,
Even if it meant splurging on things I never knew I needed.

I’ll keep the memories, the tacos, and a very cute (and very overpriced) apartment
As a souvenir of that wild ride

So cheers to you, Austin,
And cheers to me, for surviving you.

Thank you for reading,
Besiss🥰,
Génesis ❤️‍🔥🔥