Leaving L.A. this past summer I set out on a bucket-list trip to travel up the California coast. While I’ve obviously been quite delayed in sharing my story, I guess it hasn’t truly hit me until now how much the journey really meant to me.
I found beauty. The beauty of the thrill of an adventure, without phone service at times, and a best friend.
Our trip began in the beautiful Manhattan Beach; a place I was lucky enough to call home all summer. We weren’t so good at the whole task of leaving the Los Angeles area with our first stop being Venice Beach, then Zuma Beach, and Malibu. But we did get going at some point; most likely only because we had to meet my family in San Luis Obispo that evening for dinner and then the journey continued the next day.
Every time we stopped the car, my feet had to feel the water and my lungs took in the ocean air. It was as if a part of me thought something might be different to this beach than the last. But that wasn’t it. I was as giddy as a child, taking in every moment. It was simplicity and I needed all that I could get.
It was an adventure of beautiful scenery that a picture won’t ever be able to capture. And you don’t know the feeling it will bring you until you see it for yourself. It’s a sight so captivating it reminds you what it really feels like to be living. None of the superficial stuff; just pure whole-hearted beauty.
The adventure taught me the feeling of living in the moment a bit better than before. If you feel like pulling over the car, do it.
It taught me that those that matter most will always be there. So what if it takes a flight out to see one another. A friendship like that goes unchanged no matter how long the time between might be.
It gave me a reason to never ever give up on going back. I know it every time I look at a picture from this summer. Going back to where my heart is whole and somewhere I find my own simplicity.
Love Defies 