I went to Manhattan Beach yesterday…
And I don’t care how expensive it is, and I don’t care how far from the hood it is…
When I grow up, I’m moving to Manhattan Beach.
Sitting on the sand there, away from everything, it was just the break I needed after the last seven months. Away from my phone, and away from my email, the mind-games of it all just faded into the background. Even my time back home as a brother and son was put into perspective. For a moment, I was able to step out of these roles to reflect on just what they’ve looked like over the last few months, and on what they can still look like in the days to come.
At the end of it, I resolved that the greatest thing I can do for my family is just to be kind to them. They’re people too, each of them going through the twists and turns of the world just like I am. As obvious as that might sound, it’s not always so clear when I’m in the midst of living alongside them in our little shack. But they’re so beautiful. As beautiful as the sparkling waves of the ocean at Manhattan.
And yet, even this is only a bit of what I felt throughout yesterday’s adventure in the South Bay. It was unlike anything in recent memory for me. Riding on the Green Line for the first time, I was a kid again, and discovering how it went over the Harbor freeway–I mean, that was just intense! For more than just a moment, I was scared that somehow, I wouldn’t make it back home! And yet, after seven hours and sixty-four miles of trekking across the city, I did make it back! And to just what did I return? To one of the greatest little shacks in the world, of course. With the most beautiful ones, again.