Three years ago, Brandon and I began making our transition from Seattle to Los Angeles. I have never shared the post below, but these were my initial thoughts.
Making This Home
I used to live a block away from the beach. I used to have a deck. I used to have friends, colleagues, and organizations for which I cared deeply. Now, I live in North Hollywood across the street from the Church of Scientology of the Valley. Now, I pay $600 more in rent to hear the couple above us argue about everything under the sun. Now, I have an opportunity to make new friends, colleagues deeply concerned about those who remain unhoused, and a chance to join new organizations focused on my passions. My new home is not perfect. It is not everything I need it to be. For now, it is home and I plan to make the best of it.
The White Guy
The diversity of Los Angeles is overwhelming in the most spectacular way. Depending on the neighborhood, walking down a city street you will hear countless languages, and interact with races, cultures, and expressions running the global spectrum. This fills me with an indescribable joy. Even as a little kid, I envisioned myself living in a multi-ethnic city drawing people from all over the world. Having this reality at my fingertips is a dream come true and one this white boy from Oklahoma intends to fully absorb.
Alone in Traffic
Complaining about traffic in Los Angeles is a rite of passage. In Seattle, we complained about the rain. In Oklahoma, we complained about the heat. In Los Angeles, we measure the worthiness of attending an event or meeting up with friends by the amount of time it will take us to get there. If someone decides to visit despite an hour or more of traffic, then you are to consider it a gift. When arriving somewhere, you must answer the question, how long did it take you to get here? These are just some of the rules concerning Los Angeles traffic. I am sure I will complain about more of them later. I hear rain wreaks havoc.
The Odd Man Out
Brandon comes to Los Angeles with a core group of friends and family already established. He was born here after all. For a while, this means I will be the odd man out. It will be me playing the quiet observant one when meeting new people as I look for an opportunity to insert myself into the conversation. For some, this might seem like a tall order, but I am extrovert at heart and relish these moments.
Backyard with Friends
In the land of endless summer, you do not spend three or four months exhausted by gatherings that can only occur when the weather is agreeable. In the land of endless summer, you can linger a little longer around the firepit, trading stories, and drinking beers until eyes grow tired and conversations find a natural end. No one puts this in the brochure for life in Los Angeles, but they should.
Buying a Home
I graduated from college during the Great Recession and chose to move to a west coast city with high rent and even higher mortgages. Homeownership has never seemed like a possibility to me but moving to Los Angeles has changed my outlook. Now, within the confines of a committed relationship, our buying power is doubled, and owning a home seems doable. I am not sure if LA will be our forever home or if it will be some other place, but I am so proud of us for even having the conversation.
Big Steps Together
Buying a home and moving from Seattle to a new city naturally gives way to a new thought. Over the last few years, we have taken some mighty big steps together. Before us is a hundred more, but as I look toward the man standing at my side, I cannot imagine taking this journey with anyone else. Without a doubt, tremendous challenges are around the corner, but I can only hope they are rivaled by a joy that can only be experienced when one overcomes.
I Never Thought
My dad called Long Beach, CA home after the Vietnam War. I have been coming here my whole. When we were not piled in the car like our Okie forefathers, my dad shared stories of a city that seemed to hold a special place in his heart. As I listened to those stories, the childhood version of myself never thought I would call this home. Yet here I am. Before me, is all the possibility that can only be found in America’s second-largest city. For now, everything seems possible. For now, I plan to add a few new lines to a story my father and I will collectively tell.
LA vs. Seattle
At this point in time, it seems unfair to compare Los Angeles and Seattle. To do so would feel like a betrayal to my former home. Seattle shaped me, molded me, and freed me. It will always hold a special place in my heart. It has its faults. All things created by man do, but for me, for a while, it was the most perfect place in the world. Los Angeles will reveal itself in mysterious ways. I will pull new lessons from its limits and will be shaped by my experiences. For now, I am not interested in comparison. I am only interested in new experiences.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
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