WRITTEN ON JANUARY 7th 2014 :-)
Arriving back to Los Angeles after 6 years has shown me what it must be like for all those people coming from various countries all over the world to settle and “make it” here in the big big city. You arrive with eyes wide, everything is new, the air is fresh, the spirit of humanity is wide open and accepting and each moment is charges with a sense of awe and wonder. You have a few thousand bucks in your pocket so you go on exploring and taking in the sites, acclimating yourself to the heartbeat of the culture, attempting to figure out where in this vast sea of humanity you fit in. The clock ticks and the walls close around and somehow the city grows larger and larger and larger and larger and your perspective grows smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller and then BOOM, the crucial moment of desperation comes and one starts to think, “I need to survive, I have to my head above water, my dreams, my passion, my desire” turns into “Good morning ma’am, how may I help you?”
And so begins the steady climb back out into the perspective that was so inherent upon arrival, the steady expansion that comes with diving into the sea of humanity and finding your wings that set you free to wander the long streets of our dreams in which we build, moment by moment, the great life we have held in our dreams for as long as we could remember. What is the misconception of many people around the world is that people come to this city and end up achieving what seems to be overnight success. Now if overnight was defined as 10 to 25 years of intense personal development, persistence and taking life to limits that no man has ever imagined, then yes, overnight success is exactly what it is, but I am very clear that the image that is painted in most peoples minds as a lucky break of instant success is achieved in extremely small percentages, if ever, cause even those that rise to fame and fortune (in whatever they do) quickly, it is very clear that if they do not become the type of person that is worthy of long term success in any field, then that instant gratification instantly digs them a hole of terror and self-loathing.
In my experience coming back this time, from all that I learned and even from the fact that I have been born and raised in this city, I am very clear that model of success in the west, and the far west like Los Angeles, is the ability to be grateful for all that exists here, for all the culture, all the chaos, all the perversities, all the glitz and glamour, all the beauty, all the paved streets, all the nice meals, smiles, american past times, hard times, good times, gypsies, bankers, hankers, loathers, posers, losers, choosers, movers, shakers, skaters, one night maters, haters, belaters, space invaders, collaborators, content creators, speakers, seekers, believers, high achievers, the little people, the big dreamers, the office sleepers, the ones whom reap rewards for no work, the ones whom work their fingers to the bone, the fast drivers, the north, south, east west anything goes, I love LA and whether your gay, bi, tran or straight, brown, purple red or slate green you always have a place to be here in the city of angels and if you stick around and keep on believing, everything you wish to SEE come to reality in your waking dream most certainly will be. I choose to keep the faith and keep on believing that the Brave New Me is living in a Brave New World!
