+4 
We’ve been in our new home nearly three months now. Living in a big city and taking in all that it has to offer is energizing and inspiring, to say the least. Big city life is what I always dreamed of. Getting used to the sights and sounds of a buzzing metropolis has certainly been a welcome adjustment. But after months of moving and getting settled and working three jobs through all of that, my body finally started to send me signals that I needed to find more balance.
I left for vacation to the East coast to spend time with my grandparents and my immediate and extended family. Although I still had to work for most of the days away, the slowed pace of rural Connecticut and a beach house in the Hamptons made me realize that I needed to build more vacation-feeling time into my busy weeks once I returned to LA. Dan and I were so caught up in the go-go-go of being in school and working in the middle of everything that we were forgetting why most people move here. The beach is only a 30-minute drive from our center-city apartment, which means within minutes we can transition from an energized hustle and bustle to a slowed and serene paradise.
Since I returned from the East coast, we’ve spent our Saturdays at the Pacific Ocean. We’ve decided to make it a weekly routine to release the pressures of the week, re-center, and let the vastness of the ocean with its ebbing and flowing tides remind us that, as much as we try to convince ourselves otherwise, we really don’t have much control over anything in this life. For some reason, that brings me peace.
As I’ve been acclimating to LA life, I’ve been more inclined to observe than to share. For now, I’m staying curious and introspective, and it is a welcome shift. Starting over somewhere new and blending in to the landscape as I find my way seems to be the path forward, for now. One thing is for sure—this Saturday, you can find us at the beach.
xx,
