Has it really been six years?

About six years ago I made a trek across the world. I was privileged to have a spot on a study abroad program that traveled to India. A lot of people didn't understand why I chose India (a lot of people still don't understand.) At the time I couldn't really explain why I chose India either. I often do things on a whim because I know it will make my heart happy. This was definitely one of those moments. My summer in Mumbai was exactly that; a summer of a very happy heart.



I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. As much as I was there to learn about journalism, the culture, and quite literally THE WORLD. I discovered that I was also there to learn about myself. Not just as a college student but as a young woman and as a citizen of this world.

You can read some of my adventures HERE. (excuse all the typos and the excitement of my 21-year old self. hah)

If you told me six years ago that I'd be living back in Los Angeles working for an animal welfare group and advocating for pit bulls I would have probably asked you where I went wrong. I had some pretty high standards and goals of what my 20-something year old life was supposed to look like and to be honest, on paper, the life I've built is not what I had in mind.

However, from where I sit, I wouldn't change any of it. I truly believe that my experience in Mumbai humbled me. It made me realize how important it was to ask a few more questions before judgement, it taught me to always see a bigger picture, and most importantly, it made me discover that I wanted to strive to be a more compassionate citizen of the world.

In my travels I met a few people who were constantly complaining or making comments about the dire state that the cities were in. Instead of understanding the people we met they felt bad for them; pitied them. They never saw the bigger picture of the beauty that I saw around every corner. It almost felt like they complained every step of the way. The challenges we faced became these life ruining ordeals that made their entire trip a disaster. It became less about the experience and more about the personal loss of a summer ruined by the poverty we encountered. I could do nothing more than sit back and wonder why they were so negative. I decided that I didn't want to be "that person." I didn't want to be "that person" in India and when I returned to reflect upon it, I didn't want to be "that person" EVER.

Recently I've been facing this same type of negativity from people around me all over again. And six years later, it still boggles my brain. I just don't understand why people have such a hard time seeing the larger picture. I don't understand why people have such a hard time seeing the beauty in others and the beauty in the world we live in. It's forcing me to reflect a little on where my 21-year old self would've thought I "went wrong."

But I can't seem to find that moment of a wrong turn.

Just like my trip to India, my last few years have been a jumble of decisions made on a whim because I knew it would make my heart happy. And although I may not be living the life I thought I was going to be living it feels like its the life I'm supposed to be living.

There have been bumps, there have been obstacles (which I still find myself recovering from), and there have been a few bad people that I had to get passed, but the life I've built so far makes my heart immeasurably happy. So I will press on, continue to make decisions on a whim, and surround myself with good people (and dogs. Because dogs really do make life better.)




As I reflect, it's hard not to feel that I've landed myself exactly where I'm supposed to be. 

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