Back to my Roots

How living in SoCal taught me to love the Midwest

I graduated from high school in 2010 with 8 of my fellow classmates. The majority of my friends weren’t venturing very far from Bartlesville, Oklahoma for their college years. Many were attending universities within 3 to 4hrs of driving. I, on the other hand, was taking the “bold move” of heading out to Los Angeles in get my film arts degree.

Not once did I question or regret this decision. I was ready to get out of the small town life and move on to bigger adventures, and for three years I did.

While in LA my friends and I got involved in camping and hiking on the weekends. This was something I hardly ever did back in Oklahoma. Eventually the same old hikes near our school got old and we dreamed about having more space. Around this same time my Dad purchased a 27acre plot outside of our home town and I got to spend the summer help him get it set up with a small cabin, wood burning stove and all.I loved the time I had to spend on the ranch. I felt at peace.

The next semester in California proved to be a stressful one. I had lost all motivation to go exploring in SoCal or relax on the beach. My tumblr began to fill up with more and more pictures or forests and camping gear, and any extra money I had went into purchasing that gear. Los Angeles wasn’t scratching my adventure itch. I loved the coffee shops and fun restaurant outings, but when it was all said and done I just wanted to pack up and head to the mountains. Some trips north helped but I always ended up back in LA.

Now I’m moving back to Oklahoma. It wasn’t an easy decision to make. All of my friends out here are amazing and my film degree has taught me so much. It took leaving home and getting a glimpse of city life to realize that I need that open space. Don’t get me wrong I love the city and all the adventure that come with it, but I need the space too.

So living in the end living in SoCal really helped me realize that I want to be home.