Pep Talk

Mandy Moore gave me the courage to cut my hair short. Anne Lamott gave me the strength to write shitty first drafts and then to continue writing. Sister Ida made me feel confident enough to teach an entire classroom full of illegal Mexican immigrants.

Just like these influential women in my life, my high school friend ES is an example of a young, fearless woman who followed her dreams to Los Angeles. She was the first one to leave our sleepy town, and she still continues to inspire me.. most recently, with this excerpt of a message:

Just remember that for every inconvenience the city causes, there is something wonderful it offers in return. It's like the city knows it's a pain in the ass to live in, so it has incomparable sights, sounds, restaurants, art and culture to make it worth your while. When I lived in LA nothing, and I mean nothing, was simple. Going to the post office, making a Walmart run, getting cable installed, finding a doctor, no matter what the task, it was like this huge undertaking. Everything is just a lot of effort. But for every frustration, the city has an answer for. So when you miss your car, or hear your neighbors, or have a late train, just look around you and take in the city and remember how long and how badly you wanted to be there - it goes a long way to putting things in perspective. That's my advice, not like you needed it! :)

Thanks, ES, for being brave and honest and for giving me one helluva pep talk! We may have chosen opposite coasts, but there is something very similar in the need for a 20-something woman to get away for a bit.