Devious Journal Entry

Moving to the West Coast has been a real eye opener at the vastness of this country. In some ways moving from coast to coast is like moving to a new country because of the subtle, yet strong differences in people. There are no accents here really, so my southern accent tends to stick out. It's somewhat of a novelty to some people, and others just make fun of it, but its still funny when people look at me as if im from Mars.

People in Washington seem alot more closed off than I expected though, perhaps its the weather that turns them that way, im not sure. Regardless of the reason, people here seem to fit into one of three categories (as put by my friend Maddie) either being a hipster, a hippie, or an asshole. God forbid you meet someone who is a strange conglomeration of the three !

Now im not trying to pigeon hole every Washingtonian with that statement. Thats just been my general impression so far. I have also met a (small) fair share of very genuine people as well. Given that I havent really done much exploring or "living" yet I cant really come to a consensus either way. I like this town, but im getting the impression that this is not a place to stay. I may end up doing my one year here then moving elsewhere when the time comes. Im still young enough to do some additional traveling, it will just complicate college a bit (but at the same time help me build better photography skills.)

In general though, the people I am meeting are not people I would choose to surround myself with but it may be that I just have to look for the diamond in the sand and sift through everyone else. Such a method is not my style though, I am an introvert first and foremost and take solace in my own inner sanctum of thoughts, not through extensive social interaction.

I am happy here, but I miss the South, I miss the people there, and I miss feeling like the geography im surrounded by are the walls of my home. I still feel as if im on an extended vacation if anything.

I think at one point or another ill end up back in the South, perhaps Atlanta, my birthplace. I've always wanted to go back, and its only 2 hours from the mountains of North Carolina that I still call home. I think eventually its those mountains that I am destined to move back to, to live under, and then be returned to when my time is up.

The bottom line though is that life is what you make of it. For those of us who have experienced intense pain and heartache in our lives, there is a sense of life and a sense of love which is far more heightened. When you put others first, your life will open up in an entirely new way. Life is for the living, so live it to your full potential

The infinite possibilities each day holds should stagger the mind. The sheer number of experiences I could have is uncountable, breathtaking, and im sitting here refreshing my inbox. We live trapped in loops, reliving a few days over and over, and we envision only a handful of paths laid out ahead of us. We see the same things each day, we respond the same way, we think the same thoughts, each day a slight variation on the last. Every moment smoothly following the gentle curves of societal norms. We act like if we just get through today, tomorrow, our dreams will come back to us.

And no, I dont have all the answers. I dont know how to jolt myself into seeing what each moment could become. But I do know one thing: The solution dosent involve watering down my every little idea and creative impulse for the sake of someday easing my fit into a mold. It dosent invlove tempering my life to better fit someones expectations. It dosent involve constantly holding back for fear of shaking things up.

Thank you for bearing with my ungodly long post, but I needed to get all that out there. Thank you again for being such lovely followers, I wish nothing but the best for all of you