Escaping people was one of my favorite parts of leaving California.
I don’t mean escaping the people I cared about. I mean escaping the other 39.5 million and then some.
No matter what….every single thing you do, place you visit or simple daily task that needs to get done, without-a-doubt, becomes a chore. We lived in a “small” town of about 90,000 people. Gas station, grocery store, Target….a chore.
The weekend before I moved back, we had dinner with friends in a town about 15 miles away. In order to get there, though, you have to go over what locals refer to as “the pass.” That pass, whether it’s 3 am, noon, or 7 pm is flooded with vehicles and people. Sometimes during rush hour or weekend traffic, it can take an hour or more just to get over it (which should take no more than 5 minutes) luckily we have changed our truck batteries.
Ryan drove that night, and I snapped these two pictures. I then made the comment to him that this is why I couldn’t get out of the state fast enough. 
Escaping People
Here’s the thing about California and that life out there.
It’s just stunning. I’ve already told you all the beautiful parts about living in California (and newsflash – none of them had to do with Hollywood).
But for me, the beautiful parts – my very favorite things in California – were always clouded by the sheer volume of people.
All the beauty in the world was seemingly found in California, but in order to get to most of it, you had to struggle through traffic and people.
I never got used to it, and towards the end, I despised it.
During this period of change, I’ve come back to those feelings often. When I miss the Palm trees or mountains or find myself cursing the winter, I return to those feelings, and I remember the most important thing about beauty.
It’s not so beautiful if we’re desperately and constantly trying to escape it. (This applies to anything in life, by the way.)
Maybe the most beautiful thing(s) is/are found in unsuspecting places.
When I left California and found myself breathing easier again after escaping millions upon millions of people, I began discovering something – one thing in particular – in a whole, new, beautiful light.
I’ll share it tomorrow.
Xox,
SKH
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These posts will all live under “Wellness+Lifestyle” and also tagged with “101 Days of Blogging.” The 101-day series runs from Monday, January 8, 2018, through Wednesday, April 18, 2018.
If there is a topic surrounding change that you would love for me to include in this series, please just CONTACT ME.
Previous 101-Day Change Series Posts
- Beginnings are Scary
- Change Pain Point
- Making Sense of Change
- Gratitude Journal
- Love Your Baby Girl
- Little Things Add Up
- House and Home
- Sunday Reflections
- Two
- Chocolate Shake
- 3-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Shake
- Chaos is a Temporary State
- Thirsty Thursday
- Month One
- The Nudge to Connect
- 11 Favorites from 11 Years in California
- One Box at a Time
- Good Enough is Enough
- There is No Dishwasher
- WWDW Number 8
- Move Initiated
- Sharing My Journey
- Back with the Tribe
- Small Town Grocery Shopping Part One
- January 2018 Catch Up Over Bone Broth
- Patsy Clairmont is My Spirit Animal
- Let There Be Light
- Forgot About Rae
- Smiles
- Coconut Oil Makeup Remover How To
- 9 Ways to Embrace Winter
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I relate to this so much. When I lived in SoCaI couldn’t wait to escape the vast amounts of people and traffic. It was beautiful but at the time I lived near the beach in Port Hueneme and my immediate family lived in Pasadena. A 30 min drive would take 1 1/2 to 2 hours and I was over it. Some days I miss the scenery but that traffic???? I’ll keep New Orleans for now????
When we come home to California from Hawaii we always comment on how quiet it is! The traffic and volume of people in Waikiki make our little corner of Ventura County seem mellow.
That’s awesome, Kathy! Well….awesome that Waikiki and Ventura County are both “home” to you! I wish I would have found a quiet, little nook in California.