Something happens to me in the morning. I awake and then I awaken. I awaken to the possibility of a new day, a new moment, new ideas. Unfortunately, I don't get up early enough usually to watch the city wake up. It is my natural rhythm, but it's not my boyfriend's. I need to remedy that at some point.
But this morning I woke up at 4:45 in order to take his sister and her husband to the airport. Most people would probably think "Ugh!" I was excited to be up early and to drive in my city without any traffic impeding me or slowing me down. We got in the car and had a leisurely conversation - or as much of a conversation as we can have that early in the morning. Some of it was spent in silence, which I love. I love silence in the morning. It's my favorite experience. Whenever I drive to Northern California, I try to leave before the sun comes up so when I hit Santa Barbara or Ventura, the sun is rising and reflecting on the ocean. I really love it. It's such a cheap thrill. Free art.
So I got them to the airport with my short cut and dropped them off. Then I cut over so I could cut across the airport straight from Terminal 1 to Terminal 7 and the exit. I exited the airport and thought about the way home. I didn't want to just take the 405 back to get home as soon as possible. I had no traffic, so the possibility of driving through the city was thrilling. It was a road trip. I got to encounter my city as it was waking up.
I drove up Sepulveda through Culver City and up to Santa Monica Blvd. For a moment, I thought I would just jump on the 405 from there. But when the light took too long to change, I decided to go right instead of left. I was driving through Century City. This large expansive almost-highway sized street took me past the Mormon Tabernacle on my left and the Century City Mall on my right. I zoomed past the tall law office buildings and I felt like the city was mine. I felt like I could have pulled over in front of any of the buildings on Century Park East and gotten out and danced around. It was that quiet, deserted and beautiful. There were no cars buzzing around. No business being done. The mall wasn't even open.
Then I decided to take Little Santa Monica Blvd instead of staying on N. Santa Monica. I drove through Beverly Hills, past the shops and the doctors offices I had been to many times. I had all green lights as I was driving past streets that had often held me up at 4 PM on a Thursday. It was beautiful. I felt the parts of the city open up to me and letting me proceed. Little Santa Monica became Burton and I continued down. I turned on Robertson, but it wouldn't let me get past Third. Street closures. Some sort of race or something. So I got onto Third. I drove down those streets. I kept trying to creep up closer North and eventually made my way onto Beverly, then Melrose and finally I turned onto Vine and started going North. The sun was up and I was driving through Hollywood.
This is my town. I got to drive through every aspect of it in the course of 30 minutes. I couldn't believe how lucky I was as I was on Cahuenga going over the hill and turning on Barham to get back home. Past the Warner Brothers lot, I drove leisurely and appreciated the mini road trip, which encapsulated the journey of my life. I had driven past neighborhoods I used to live in and past buildings I used to work in. I drove past places I had visited when I was young and again when I was older. I have a relationship with this city that survives wherever my life and my career happen to be in that moment. I have a relationship with Los Angeles that has nothing to do with competition or my place in line.
Just that one drive reminded me how wonderful it is to be here. The bones of this city are great. Sometimes it gets congested and crazy. Traffic stresses me out. But if I just remember that traffic can be its own gift and if I can remind myself of what it feels like when I glide through the city, maybe it won't seem so overwhelming. Sometimes when you let things get in your way and you don't travel at the right time, the journey across town can seem endless. But when you know where you're going and when to get there, you get there in no time at all.
I am grateful for the journey.
I am grateful for the people along the way.
I am grateful for silence.
I am grateful for peace and quiet.
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