assessing your stressors and putting things into perspective on the freeway

Today I was held up at an on ramp, because I had left for work at the same time as my boyfriend who had work 30 minutes before I did, and found myself with some time to kill. What better way to waste time than attempting to take the LA freeways between 5am and 10pm? The 101 was in standstill mode as always, but it gave me the perfect opportunity to do some in depth people watching. There are several types of drivers on Los Angeles freeways; the business man with decent to nice luxury cars, the tourist with their minivans, F-250's and out of state license plates, and the rest of the entire middle class in our semi-decent to jalopy vehicles.

This morning I observed all of these people and it made me think about the different things that consume our lives, the things that stress us out, and where they really fall on the importance meter.

Lets first look at the business suit rocking, Lexus driving, middle aged successful business man. Of the 30 or so cars I was able to actually observe, about ten were of this category. The men and women making their daily commute into downtown and the west side of LA all had something in common that was easily observable, nothing. By nothing I of course mean the blank expressions, the relaxed slump into the drivers seat,  and hands draped mindlessly over the steering wheel. I shudder to think of the submission, the dull effect of the mornings traffic jam upon these people. Of course this is my personal opinion speaking for itself, but I imagine every single one of those men and women to be broken, spiritually, by the stresses of life that comes with living in the city. This is the sad reality. The things in which we are taught to aspire too may leave you empty, broken, and even accustomed to miserable situations such as the morning commute down the 101.

The next group of easily observable individuals was the middle class twenty somethings on their way to their own dead end, minimum wage jobs. This is the group that is the horn honkers, the yellers, and the infamous "bird flippers" of the freeway. But why do we yell and raise our fists at the window at every single car who dare put on his break lights?  Because we are young, we know that there are better things out there and that we should not stand for the crappy choices we are given. It is frustrating to the core to accept the state of the Los Angeles freeways, and we think of a hundred different ways to improve the traffic situation, we yell and stamp our feet and occasionally punch the steering wheel. As traffic inches along we eventually come to our exit, and we are flooded with relief. The problem is forgotten about, and we have moved on until next time.

To apply this to life, DO NOT think that having a well paying job and a fancy car to sit in traffic with will bring you the happiness that you are searching for. Look at your spark, look at the fire that burned inside you as you were directly affected by a problem that most people only hear about in the news. Where is this energy and intensity when you need to apply it to life, such as school, work, sports, physical fitness, and love. Do not become a mindless drone, like those who are accustomed to the traffic problem of Los Angeles and simply exist through it because there is no other clear solution to correct or avoid it.

Find the things that piss you off, that seriously burn you to the core with hatred, and find a way to expel it from your life. I am not asking you to find solutions to your problems, I am telling you to find the things that cause you grief and  find the best possible solution to never face that stressor again. If you hate traffic, wouldnt it be worth it to sacrifice your 15 dollar and hour job for the peace of mind you get from riding your bike five or six blocks to work everyday? If you hate that you cannot afford to feed, house, and care for your pet, wouldnt it be worth it to walk the old neighbors down around in the evenings for free? If your makeup looks to splotchy when you put it on every morning, wouldnt it be worth it to watch some demo-videos, or attend a workshop? It may even spark a new found passion, hobby, or career!

The last group of freeway dwellers that I would like to discuss are the tourists. I admire their ability to sit through traffic jams with smiling faces, faithfully scanning the cars around them as to not miss an opportunity to " slug bug " a sibling. I love the tourists in traffic jams, because they have inspired me to live with my eyes on the checkpoint, and not on the goal. Tourists are able to keep their heads high even in the worst of LA traffic conditions because they are taking in the experience around them, the wonder of so many cars in one stretch of road, the smoke billowing from the factories in the distance.

And that is the moral of the story, experience everything. When you can be sure as to what bothers you and what makes you happy, choose the path that is the most enjoyable. Tourists are able to tolerate these less than desirable conditions because it is a rare experience they dont often encounter. Young people shout because they have an opinion, and even if it is just to our dashboard, it must be heard. Well established working men and women accept the conditions and exist through it.

What category do you want to fall in?

peace, love, keep surviving.

so your 20-something, now what?

Although some may argue, being a twenty something in this world is not as care-free and youthful as Hollywood might make it out to be. When you are a twenty something there are social limitations, expectations, and depending on what side of the hallowed 21 year mark you fall on, boredom.

So what ARE you supposed to be doing as a twenty something? Here is my recommendations to get you away from the oblivion that is your tumblr account, facebook, jersey shore, and whatever mindless shows that have the same basic overly-tan-people-with-fake-tits-and-too-much-money-so-they-fight-because-they-are-too-unintelligent-for-normal-activities.

 Volunteer. Do you know how underly-funded most necessary education, animal, child, and clean up projects in this country are? Volunteering is great for the twenty something because it is the chance to give you a taste of a grown up job without the grown up responsibilities or commitment that comes with such a position. If you know what you want to be doing in ten years, then great! Volunteer in that field, if you are not so lucky as to have your life mapped out yet, then dive into any and every opportunity you have to get the fullest range of opportunities you can. Also, making a name for yourself amongst the volunteer community may open doors for more permanent positions later on in life.

Fate is real, fate is all around us opening the doors for people who have knocked loud enough to be heard. Fate will reward you if you put yourself in the right place at the right time to let her work her magic, I promise.

peace, love, and keep your head above the water.

A Different Approach

It has been days, months even, since I last brought up my blogger and started mindlessly jotting down my activities for the day, what I cooked, what I ate, ect. When we last left off, I was 19 and living in San Diego, California. I was a nutrition major at San Diego Mesa College, who had it all figured out. I loved food, I loved cooking, I loved writing about it and taking photos.

Fast foreword and it is now December 2011. The infamous last month of the year, filled with family and friends, presents and food, parties and hangovers, we all know the context that December bring. I now live in Los Angeles, California where I am still in school however I am on the brink of completing my History degree instead of my prior path of nutrition. I still love food and taking pictures of it, that much hasn't changed.

But myself, as a person, has changed entirely.

As much as I disprove of  web-md self diagnoses, I have diagnosed myself with depression just before I left San Diego in July of 2011. There was a slight sequence of events that led up to this diagnoses, one was the severe lack of money I was experiencing due to my dead end job and overpriced living accommodations. The second, was the chance I had taken at giving someone my life, love, and respect that had been taken then immediately disregarded and myself left nearly homeless within hours of moving to Los Angeles.  The third, and final reason that I have identified behind my less than optimistic view of life, is that I have no idea what I am doing, what I am supposed to be doing, or what I even CAN do.

And I know that millions of other people my age stare mindlessly out their windows everyday, wondering the same things I am. So my apologies to those who checked my blog for vegetarian updates, but this is going in an entirely new direction. I want to asses the things in my life that are making my unhappy, and I want to track my progress and motivators until I have reached a situation that I am happy in, a me that I am proud of.

And I want to help those people, who feel about as important as a red light in in Los Angeles. Those people just like me who are truly struggling to find their place in society. I want to have the kind of page that I find myself looking for, someone who would have all the answers to my problems without me having to ask them.

peace, love, and good luck out there <3