17:30 september 7, 2017
so i’m actually scrapping a lot of the initial summer series topics because there’s a lot to write about! and i don’t think i’m fully ready to write everything i’ve had on my mind just yet. still processing. it’s okay. at least i’m writing!
anyway, i’m writing this from monterey, ca on day 3? of sophomore college. sand falls from my journal pages every time i open it and i’m really running out of pages. we’ve eaten beneath christmas lights in an old car port every night for dinner. driving home at 4 o’clock after an afternoon on the beach; salty, dry, warm, sleepy. coming home and taking a warm shower and crawling into bed or standing out on the balcony as the coastal breeze dries you off. i’m a romantic. i love it.
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09:50 september 11, 2017
i keep trying to write, but i don’t really know what to say. i’m happy, i’m excited, i’m a little sweaty. we just packed the cars to go camping for 3 days, and we’re just about ready to leave pacific grove to head for the mountains.
if i can say anything about this soco, i can honestly say that everyday i find something else to love deeper. whether it’s the people here, the skies, the ocean, cooking breakfast, jellyfish, strangers– there is so much in this world worth loving, and it is such a privilege to participate and witness humanity in its smallest, purest, most beautiful forms.
kath and i made a homey little home out of our small room tucked in the corner next to the kitchen of our apartment. we’re roaming around the greater monterey area, all 15 of us, and hopping from beach to beach, camping, and appreciating nature and humanity for everything that it is.
one thing that i have finally come to internalise while having this moment to reflect and recharge at the pace of this beautiful program and this beautiful city is that holding expectations about people, places, experiences, and things is so dangerous. thinking that something should be this or should be that is unfair to the reality you are experiencing. i remember thinking things were “unfair” because i “should” have been _________ instead of whatever was happening to me. but the fact of the matter is that what i was living the life that was playing out in front of me, not whatever fantasy i cooked up in my head. and that’s that.
the longer i’m alive, the more i realize that it is best to simply take things as they are. go with the flow, don’t stress over a change in plans, be intentional, and take your time. forgive yourself, forgive others, talk about your feelings, take deep breaths, watch a sunrise, don’t skip out on swimming in the ocean just because the water is cold, share music, sit down for meals, listen, enjoy silence, laugh, and find the best in everything.
i’m built to love and built to smile.
i’m gonna go, i wanna hop off my phone for the rest of this trip, so here’s just a brief check in for now! here are some photos
(okay honestly i’m writing this on my phone and i have no idea if these photos uploaded or not) (check my twitter and instagram for the same photos though lol!!) (only a little sorry about the messy post!)
lots and lots of love!
izzy
EDIT: p.s. thank you for all the kind words regarding my last post. love and strength to all of you; thank you for inspiring me everyday
16til26* 