23

Well, here I am...almost a year later sitting in yet another temporary apartment drinking tea on a cloudy Easter Sunday as I write. My life has drastically changed since Manhattan. The view is different, my situation is different, my faith is different. So much has happened and by default, all I really have to document the changes are my memories of my experiences. Being a faithful journalist for the past couple of years has taught me some interesting aspects of how I operate. I purposefully stopped writing everyday so I could channel my energy in to other mediums and outlets, and to experiment with the focus of getting out of my mind and in to the present. It's been a long while since I've physically written out a blog, a journal entry, or a prayer for that matter, and now returning to this form of expression after a long absence, I find the experience of letting my thoughts out on paper or screen to be a breath of fresh air for the right side of my brain. I believe that there has been a change of heart in my creative process of writing, and in general for that matter, that has been manifested by the break.

It would take months to explain everything that has happened in between cities, so I will just pick up where I am at now. I recently celebrated my 23rd birthday in Los Angeles where I currently reside. I started out my day by sleeping in, which has been a rare occasion since I started working at Starbucks. I stretched before I got beaten up by a little Asian man who gave me the best deep tissue massage I have ever had, (it hurt so good). Followed by a lovely afternoon at Venice Beach with some girlfriends where we did a little shopping, dining, bonding, and tanning, soaking up the beauty of the day. I then had the best birthday dinner night ever at the Cheesecake Factory with an eclectic group of friends from all different walks of life here in LA. You know it's a good party when your meal becomes communal and you don't have to entertain each individual...and the people are gathered there for you. Needless to say I felt very blessed throughout my day; I felt loved and alive. I ended the night at The Standard with my roommate. And as we stared up at the night sky, high above the city ground, dreaming, soaking up the positive energy of the year to come, I felt a moving peace. I was in preparation for my life to begin while it was already happening, and I barely noticed. I have had a new awakening inside my soul and I am ready to start living. No more hesitation; just do it and keep moving and God will take care of the rest. I do believe 23 is going to be the best year yet for me. I have a new vision, but it's going to take endurance and patience and true belief. Although I remember my friends and I claiming that 2011 was going to be a great year on the new year's eve, I am finding a new flame for that claim. I see a season of joy in my life, no matter what may come. Just as my birthday plans fell in to place, my life will also go with the flow. I know that in this journey, the plans God has for me will be fulfilled, my dreams and desires will be fulfilled, and the important people I am meant to do life with will show up in their rightful seasons. That's what I call success.

I've been in LA for almost nine months now, and I already have new direction, community and fellowship, and a land of opportunity I am dwelling in. I take each day as it comes and I thrive on the unknown, thanks to faith. Today I thank God for redemption and new beginnings. I thank God that we are not meant to do life alone. All that matters in the end are the relationships we make and the people we inspire and as long as I have depth in the areas that matter, everything is worth it. So in the words of one of my favorite artists, Adele, to my people, "You are the wonders of my world."