I say this really often. It’s one of the things I say more than anything else.
Beautiful sunset over the buildings on my roof, turning them into golden, shining, luminous intersections of inspiration cut into my view of the mountainous backdrop of my wonderful city? I love LA.
Crowds of people swooning over the chance to catch a glimpse of a movie star walk from one corner of a red carpet to another, hoping for the chance just to thank them quickly for the sense of completion provided by their larger-than-life performances, and the looks of joy on these fans’ faces when the actor so much as crosses their line of sight? I love LA.
A beach full of small children of every color, running and splashing in the waves of the most enjoyable ocean on Earth, ignoring social mores in exchange for the chance at unadulterated happiness, unaware of the incredible opportunity offered by their natural open mind and the availability of a city to support it? I love LA.
The appropriation of the world’s largest art movement, the thieving of art’s focus from the origin of our national art spotlight on the East coast to the hub of the entertainment world in sunny SoCal, and the chance to comment on this happening while it plays out, with the very medium upon which it centers, contained wholly in a can of spraypaint and a one minute walk from my front door? I love LA.
But for the first time in my life, a natural occurrence in my favorite city has trumped all other offerings its culture has presented to my happiness.
For the first time in my life, a source of joy can leave its home on the West side, amidst the cool breezes and intellectual, jumbled conversations of the university that brought me here, and come visit me to relieve the stress that such an unpredictable life as mine necessitates.
For the first time, a part of LA can physically wrap me up in warm embrace, negating my every desire to get up and partake in the millions of other enlivening activities the rest of the mini-metropolis has to offer, assuring me that I really have found the pinnacle of positivity amidst its plethora of possible performances.
For the very first time in my life, a part of the city loves me back.
I love you, Kelsey. And I love you for giving her to me, LA.
Keep kicking ass, the both of you.
