Los Angeles never fails to surprise me with how many people find
themselves drawn to this city for the beautiful weather -- and perhaps the
beautiful people. Hollywoodland is a
place of opportunity, palm trees, and the ultimate late night Thai food. As a SoCal native I take a great deal of
pride in meeting new 'Transplants' and wish them much success in establishing a
new community for both work and play.
Never before have I been on the receiving end of such a speech, until
now.
It was a little over a month ago that I decided to make a move about 40
miles up the 405 freeway. It was a new
county and a new neighborhood, but geographically easily within reach of my
closest family and friends. The chaos
and exhilaration that comes with packing, furniture shopping, and restaurant
hunting can serve as a fantastic temporary masque to what is really taking
place underneath the surface of it all:
change. I realized last night,
for the first time, that change is hard.
And it takes patience with time to redefine normal.
Earlier in the day I had attended a friend's barbeque in which I came
across many new faces that met me with a warm smile and inquiring eyes. Many of them were 'New LA Transplants' from
New York and they came with dreams of
careers in Hollywood and excitements for warmer weather. In the past, I would have greeted these new
locals with a removed understanding of what it felt like to be navigating a new
community and building new relationships.
Yesterday, I felt like a new member of their tribe. I too was new to the town, in a less extreme
way, but new nonetheless. We exchanged
comments of patience and ambition -- when to lean on one and when to employ the
other. These new friends had come so far
and sacrificed so much, all for the chance of success. I was impressed. More than that, I was in awe of their
electric energy and kind demeanor. I
took a piece of it away with me as I headed back to my new home just down the
road.
I realize that it is rare to experience major geographical moves in our
lives, but there are different kinds of "change" that we experience
on a regular basis. It could be a change
in careers or a change in relationships or a full life change that comes with
being a new mother with a tiny human being completely dependent upon your affection
and attention. Whatever the change is
that meets your path in life, I encourage you to remain patient and
diligent. Be patient with not
understanding all that it is you desire to know -- it will reveal itself in
time. Be diligent in pursuing goodness
and embracing the moment. It will all
work out and the patience and diligence will pay off -- after all, hasn't it
always in the past? It's easy to look
ahead and feel overwhelmed, but it's important to look back and remember that
this isn't the first time change has altered things and it won't be the
last. You got this -- I promise! And chances are, you're going to be great.
No comments:
Post a Comment