Weighing on My Mind

I was born and raised in the Bay Area. Hell, I’ve lived here my whole life. The closest I ever came to leaving was college, but when you’re accepted to world’s greatest university, how can you say no? I’m not sure if I’ll ever have the guts to leave. There are many things that keep me tied down to San Francisco. The most important: my family. Right now, I live 15 minutes away from my mom and dad and a half hour from my little sister. I also have a great job that I enjoy. I get paid decently, can put money in the bank and am doing something good for this world. After travelling throughout the United States confirmed in my mind that SF is without a doubt one of the best cities on earth. Plus, let’s not forget that my favorite sports teams are all here. Still, I can’t help but think about what else is out there.

Los Angeles and New York are atop my list of places to live. LA is great because visiting my mom and dad is really easy: either a six hour drive or a forty minute flight home. I also have family down south and a propensity for sexy, vain, superficial women. New York is my second favorite place in the world right behind San Francisco. I had visited a couple times before but my visit last summer really made me fall in love. Some of my favorite people are in New York and there’s always excitement surrounding the city that never sleeps.

The truth of the matter is that I need a fresh start. I want to walk away from things (e.g. people I dislike, bad personal decisions I’ve made and the same old shit) . I want to leave my comfort zone. I want to become truly independent and liberated. I’ve leaned on my family and best friends for a long time and I feel like I’m treading water here in the Bay—wasting time.

I may not ever leave San Francisco, but for now, dreaming about it gives me a glimmer of hope. As Tupac once said, “Don’t shed a tear, ‘cause, mama I ain’t happy here.”