To Zen

My last blog post was about how crazy I was feeling.  Like everything was piling up and I had no chance to get it all under control.  It was a fit of panic that didn't end for two weeks.  After all, I like having all my ducks in a row.  Probably too much sometimes. 

Cut to Memorial Day Weekend.  Last year I went camping on the Kern River with forty of my closest friends.  It was one of the most amazing and relaxing experiences I've ever had.  Something about being in the desert and forced to be still was a perfect antidote to the craziness that kind of builds up in my head every few months.  I had the opportunity to go again this year, but circumstances have changed.  My close group of girl friends wasn't going and I couldn't seem to manage a week in Detroit, all my homework, packing and camping again. 

And although I didn't get as much homework done as I would have liked to (I never do), I had an amazing and productive weekend just staying in LA.  I ran a lot of errands, went to the grocery store twice (unfortunately neither time for me, but I can't argue with bringing goodies to my friends' houses), and put away the last of my boxes (yes, I moved four months ago).  I didn't find a yard sale desk or buy a vacuum (boring!) but I did manage to upload the last 600 pictures I've taken with my new fun camera.  I hung out with a new friend, played on the beach with the girls, made a summer salad, ate a ton of carne asada and slept in for three days straight.  Who can argue with that?! The only thing that was missing was a Dodgers game.

It's June through September in SoCal that make me want to stay in LA forever.  It makes the sacrificed family time and all the expensive rent worth it.  I don't know if it's the Vitamin D I get, or just the affect of the consistent sun, but LA summers make me happier than anything else I know.  My very favorite past times are kayaking in the Pacific Ocean, laying on the beach, hiking in Malibu, hanging out in Playa, and chilling by the pool.   

I tend to say that I want to move back to the Midwest when I'm done with my MBA because that's where I see myself coming into my own.  And I probably still will.  But I know that these amazing and indescribably relaxing days of playing beer pong and barbecuing on the beach will never happen again.  Moving away means these blissful days full of amazing people in a gorgeous surrounding will end. And I'm getting sucked in.  I've been here for five years now and it feels more like home I ever could have imagined.  I'm sure I'll feel differently in six months, but next summer will be insanely difficult as I attempt to finish my MBA, secure a new job and enjoy what might be the last true LA summer of my life.