Gamine Girl

       We are officially back in Southern California. I had wanted it to feel like cloud nine when we got here, but that would just be too dreamy and easy, wouldn't it? I am finding it harder to write here. There is something stifling in the air. It might be the population size. I cannot help but feel minuscule in Los Angeles. The labyrinth I was dealing with in Oregon just got one hundred times larger. I have to readjust and breathe. My optimism must trump my pessimism.

       I have done a lot of self-reflection lately and know that it can be hard for me to decipher intuition from impulse. This makes a job search incredibly difficult. I do not want to act on impulse. I want to follow my intuition. I want to find a job that speaks to my heart. The money aspect is so unattractive. The cost of living is so high here that I cannot help thinking if I do that will I make enough money? Instead of thinking would it make me happy? The consequence of this mentality is prostitution- doing things without passion for money and sacrificing happiness for success. I know that is below me, but I feel the unpleasant pressure sure enough. After all I dream of having a family someday, and I want to be able to take care of that future family of mine. I don't even want that day to be so far away. My childhood naivete allowed me to think that I would have it all figured out by now.

      I fear looking like a fool for the decisions I make. None the less my decisions are exactly that. Mine! I am the one who will have to live with them, learn from them, and follow through with them. I keep looking to people for advice, but they don't know what I should do. Surprisingly I find support where I expect criticism. I am my largest source of indecision and negative criticism. I desire to let myself aspire more freely. By making myself post on my blog today, I feel that I am regaining the strength to write and to dream.