THANKFUL THURSDAYS - WEEK 3

This month. Man oh man, this month. It's been a rollercoaster mixed with a water slide and a deep plunge into a black hole I'm tellin' ya. On top of that I can't actually fathom that next Thursday is Thanksgiving. But that's how months work isn't it?

So how about we be thankful about something today!

Today I am going to talk about how grateful I am to have grown up in my suburban town of Laguna Beach. Television shows aside, it isn't all that different from living in any other suburban town. Truly... that show (along with The O.C.) portrayed a very small population of this town. 

As a child I don't know how much of the environment really affects you. For the most part, I would say many children are naive to where they grow up anyways. As long as you have a family, a home, and a school... nothing really comes into your head other than your next play time. 

Then a little something changes in middle school (a little thing called PUBERTY) that makes the environment more impactful. How good is your school? How safe is your neighborhood? What are the other children like? But still, your geographical location doesn't make a huge difference on your day to day life. 

High school was when my dislike for Laguna really began. I wasn't a beach person, I wasn't a partier, and I found that my different appearance suddenly became a bigger issue than I ever thought possible. I know, I know. Who wants to hear about a person who had a hard time in high school? Everyone has a shit time in high school! But this difficult period caused me to truly loathe where I lived. And in turn, made my decision to travel across the country for school more important. 

Flash forward four years and I am once again living in my suburban town. Back to the same movie theatres, restaurants, and malls that I grew up with. But it's funny how different it is for me now. I may not like the beach but I admire it's beauty. I may not fit in with the people but I have terrific friends (here and abroad) that make me less aware of my differences. 

I think being grateful for your home town is important. It made you, you! For better or worse that place is where your story began. 

I hope this rollercoaster month is going well for you and that you can continue to find something to be thankful about. Xoxo Sam