The Pull Toward Alignment: An irresponsible leap and how the Universe caught me

But when I think back on it now, I feel a deep sense of gratitude. It was one of my first real experiences of trusting myself — of following an intuitive desire that was so strong, I cast all fear aside, and went for it. And for my courage, the Universe caught me.

At the time, I didn’t have language for it. Now, I would call it listening to an alignment.

I was living in Boston after graduating from college and I was working at a small software company. My partner and I at the time went to San Francisco for vacation, and like many others, we fell in love with the city.

San Francisco is a beautiful city by the bay with colorful houses along hills, with rolling fog in the summer that is never too hot or too cold, with amazing food where you can get a tasty array of ethnic food everywhere, and creative neighborhoods that felt expressive and unique.

Before leaving for vacation, I was feeling increasingly stuck and out of place in Boston. With its mix of college students and the locals who feel contempt towards them, there was always tension in the air. As I got older, I began to outgrow the party-academic culture, and yet I was still being lumped in as a student and met with frosty vibes from locals. I just didn’t feel like I belonged.

Upon arrival in San Francisco on a brisk July day, its vibe softened my nervous system immediately. Traces of belonging popped up quickly—not only was there a large Asian American population who were an integral part of the city, the people in general were chill, friendly, and easy compared to my East Coast roots.

I distinctly remember buying a few things at Walgreens and being genuinely surprised by how cheerful the cashier was.

“Hello! How is your day going?” the cashier asked with a smile.

I was amused. Wait, you’re asking me how my day is going? On the east coast, I’d be lucky if I got a hello.

On our last day, we were eating garlic fries and hot fudge sundaes in Ghirardelli Square below palm trees overlooking the bay when both my partner and I wondered: Should we move here?

Having been born in Hong Kong, raised outside Philadelphia and college in Boston—all places with an intensity in the air—the vibes of California felt refreshing. I felt a sense of peace that I hadn’t felt anywhere else.

When I got back, it was like the Universe kept pointing out just how unaligned I was with Boston. Work felt off, I wasn’t getting along with my manager, and my job search turned up absolutely nothing. And then one day, while driving, we missed a road closure sign—and a construction worker yelled at us, “Stupid college kids, get the hell out of here!”

That was the last straw. Insult aside, perhaps the angry construction worker was right. My partner and I looked at each other and wondered: What if we got the hell out of here? What if we moved to San Francisco?

We began to make a plan. When I looked for jobs I might qualify for, there were plenty of opportunities—this was the height of the tech boom in San Francisco. As an associate marketer in the software industry, there were many comparable roles available. I also asked my company if I could continue working remotely until I secured something new, and they agreed.

There was one big problem: Boston’s rental market. We had to renew our lease months in advance, which meant that if we left when we wanted to, we’d still be on the hook for six more months—and our landlord wasn’t budging.

Nowadays, I probably would have been more patient. Maybe waited it out. Maybe found a more “responsible” solution.

But at the time? Being in Boston felt unbearable. And the pull toward California was so strong, it felt like I had to go—no matter what.

And so I thought, what if we just dropped off the keys at the management office and drove away?

It was a crazy move. But we did exactly that.

With no forwarding address and little thought about the consequences, we simply went for it. We packed up our minivan with our two cats, dropped off the keys early one morning, and began our cross-country drive toward a new life.

When we arrived in San Francisco, it only took me a few months to find a new job at a fast-growing startup that felt exciting and full of possibility.

Everything was going great, until I received a notice from our Boston landlord. They had found us and were sending a bill for the unpaid rent.

I don’t know why we weren’t concerned at first—probably because we were naive—but we decided to ignore it. We weren’t going to pay it; after all, we weren’t living there.

As the months passed, the bills kept coming, each one stacking on top of the last. Eventually, the letters began to threaten collections. That’s when reality hit: we might have really screwed ourselves.

After receiving our final notice, the miracle of miracles happened.

I went into work one day to find the entire company gathered for an all-hands meeting. The announcement: the company had been acquired by a large tech company. As a result, we would receive a payout for our shares.

At the time, I was a young, clueless associate who knew nothing about startups. I hadn’t even realized I had been granted shares when I joined—let alone what that meant.

A few hours later, I was sitting in our VP’s office as he handed me a certificate: I would be receiving approx $17,000 in my next paycheck.

I was flabbergasted. After just half a year at the company, I was about to receive more money than I had ever seen in my bank account.

With it, I paid off our Boston landlord, bought iPods for my family and friends (the buzz tech at the time!), and even started a savings account.

Of course, at the time, I didn’t connect the dots between taking that leap and the Universe catching me. I was simply grateful for the coincidence that didn’t derail my financial future. I saw it as pure luck.

After two decades later and a deeper understanding of how life unfolds, I see it differently. I was in a place that was no longer aligned with me. I found one that was—and I chose it, then took the steps to make it happen. It was a loving, self-honoring decision.

That choice was scary, but my desire to follow it was stronger than my fear. And now, decades later, I know it was the right one; I still live in California, over 20 years later.

This is my place. This is where I’m meant to be. And the Universe caught me, when I took the leap.

When I look back at that younger version of myself, I’m amazed by the courage I had. I always thought of myself as someone who was scared—of the world, of taking risks, of doing anything bold. But in hindsight, that was just the story I told myself. I was doing plenty of things that were, in fact, scary.

As they say, courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s feeling fear and doing it anyway.

And that’s the thing: sometimes coming into an alignment can be scary. It may ask us to leave what’s familiar for something far less certain. Even when you feel something is right, it doesn’t mean it is easy.

I had plenty of moments of uncertainty, wondering if I made the right move. But underneath all of that, there was something quieter I chose to trust. I listened to my gut. I paid attention to what life was showing me: The energy in Boston was stuck and no longer in alignment; the energy in San Francisco flowed, felt right, peaceful, it was where I wanted to be, and it was in alignment.

Now, would I recommend dropping your keys off and disappearing without a plan?

…Probably not. 😅

But would I recommend listening to that quiet inner knowing when it keeps showing up?

Absolutely.

Because sometimes, others may view what we’re doing as irresponsible, but they are not the one living your unique life, in your body, feeling what your gut is telling you.

And so, sometimes, the most “irresponsible” choice… is actually the most aligned one.

May it be so.