A Lot Can Change

I just found this picture on my old Myspace blog. Yes, I still have a Myspace. It is less a sign of failing to keep-up-with-the-times and more a testament to how sentimental I am. Anyway, this picture! It seems like just some trees and sun glare, right? When I took this photo, I was 18 years old, visiting San Francisco for maybe the third time ever. My friend Joel and I had some time to kill before the Halloween celebration in the Castro, so we randomly chose a BART stop to get off at. I thought this area was beautiful, so we sat down. Next month, it will be 4 years exactly since that day. Little did I know I'd be living 3 minutes from there. I'd be shopping at a Farmer's Market across the street. I'd be doing yoga in this very spot. I'd be running through here drunkenly after a happy hour. I'd be seeing Backstreet Boys perform in front of City Hall (speaking of that, I had no idea that was City Hall at the time I took this picture!) I really never imagined I'd live somewhere this incredible. Sure, it's cold most of the time, my neighborhood usually smells like urine, and I often wonder if those people on the sidewalk are dead or just sleeping...but still, it's wonderful! There's culture and good food and awesome bars and easy transportation and beautiful parks and courthouses and museums and the bay and music and a long-standing tradition of open-mindedness, love, and creativity. I feel so lucky that I'm able to call it my city. And I hope I can for a very, very long time.