Welcome Home

Well, last week, after three full days of cross-country driving, I arrived in Los Angeles. It was a long, tiring, and restless journey. But after a full, peaceful night (and a good portion of a day) of sleep knowing that I have made it across the country in one piece, I could finally breathe a sigh relief.

And now that that's over with, I can let the real the fun begin.

I'm not too incredibly proud to admit that I didn't really have everything, or really anything, figured out before coming all the way out here. Of course, at the same time, I knew if my plan was to have everything figured out, I probably never would have left Georgia. 

You can't enter into these kinds of situations without a plan, but that's exactly what I did. I don't have a job or a place to live. All I have is a gut feeling that this is where I'm supposed to be. That this is a place I can call my home and that there are people here that I can call family.

I didn't follow a dream out here, or a big job opportunity, or a girl. I followed my heart, and I feel that my heart has lead me home.
 
Wednesday night, when I came rolling into the big city, I was greeted by a friend and the first thing he said to me was, "Welcome home, man!" Those words hit me like a brick. Sometimes when my mind gets so focused on the details of the past or the future, I need an external voice to snap me back to the present. In that moment, I had no job, no place to live, and I had just driven through the desert in a car without air conditioning, but I was home. I am home.

A.I.

If by any chance you ever read this, just know that you really went above and beyond in making me feel at home. I am so grateful for everything you've done and I am proud to call you my brother!

J.W.

Home is a place that you strive to make a little better each day. It's a place where you find beauty even if no one else sees it. It's where love is always easy to find and even easier to give. It's where you feel a sense of purpose and belonging. I am home!

So far, it has been a long journey (and an even longer process getting over the exhaustion of it). But I do believe that the road trip out here was not a race to the finish, but it was a journey to the start of another race. Where, when, how, or even if it will finish is beyond my knowledge or control. 

But, hey, that's the adventure!