REFLECTING

I'm wearing: H&M varsity jacket, vintage blazer & boots

It may be starting to feel like summer, but I can never resist layering up in various forms of black: my favorite color and security blanket. It's funny, most people associate layers of black with New York and bright summery colors with Los Angeles, but I guess I've become geographically confused. That makes sense though, given my years of traveling and relocating. I guess my time in New York and Paris has influenced my style prior to coming to Los Angeles, and I'm okay with that. To me, personal style should not be defined by your geographic location, but rather how you feel. That may sound funny considering that I'm wearing head-to-toe black, but it's a feeling of nostalgia rather than sadness. I can't help but reflect upon the last 5 years of my life spent traveling around the world, and while I am beyond happy to have set up roots in Los Angeles, I'm quickly starting to feel the confinement of a 9-5 job, something I wasn't expecting. Hours turn into days, and days to weeks, and I'm lucky if I can see the sunshine for an hour at the end of the day on my commute home from the office. Prior to this job, I had never been told how to do something or to stay in one place for a certain amount of time: I had always done as I pleased. In school I spent a few hours in class each day, but between classes I would go on an adventure - a hike, coffee on the patio of a cafe, meet friends for lunch - and I enjoyed every minute of it. Any chance I got, I jumped on a plane or a train to explore Amsterdam, London, Venice, or even somewhere close to home like wine country in Northern California. My days have changed drastically, though, and I no longer have those options. I anxiously wait for Friday afternoon to come, and it never comes quick enough. Life is funny in that way - we all have to survive, and some of us are lucky enough to get to live in a place we love, but when you are forced to show up to the same place every day for 8 hours a day, the beauty of living in your dream city gets a bit foggy. Luckily though, this is only temporary. A few months  from now, I'll be ready to make a change - a change that I've worked so hard for.  Soon enough, I'll get to focus on myself for a change, and do the work I love to do in a city that I love living in. Until then, I'll keep reminding myself that everything in life is temporary and this is just a bump in the road to get me to where I want to be. More soon. Photos: Haleigh Walsworth