I Just Like It...

As I found myself driving home from class tonight along I-30 heading east I caught myself looking at the beautifully lit-up downtown skyline of Dallas. Being after 9 PM, it was so pretty to see the big ol’ buildings lit-up they ways that they are, especially the two big ones that are outlined in green lights.

It was then that I just thought to myself, “Wow. Do you realize you LIVE in Dallas, Texas?!” Like I LIVE here. Not that Dallas is any more special than a lot of other places, just that I’m in Dallas, Texas, living my life on my own pretty much. You know, it isn’t like I grew up anywhere around here. It isn’t really that Dallas, or even Texas for that matter is my home, but it is though, you know?

It’s like I just had one of those, “I’m a big kid now,” [sung to the tune of the Pull-ups jingle, of course!] moments.

I just smiled and felt so cool. You know, it’s cool to think, though I don’t really think it all the time, I’m an adult, pretty much all on my own now, you know? Yes, I live with relatives, but even they would tell you, I act almost as if this is a business relationship between them and I as I live here, rather than a family situation…HA! But I mean, I don’t rely on my parents for anything anymore. I’m truly my own person now (well, in a since have been for a while).

I honestly don’t even converse with my immediate family all that often. I want to say the last time I talked in person with my mom was in August when I was in St. Louis for a wedding, my dad about a month ago as he called me really quick for about 3 minutes to give me his phone number, my older brother, uhhh….not real sure….does email count? And my sister just last weekend because we were in town together.

So while I obviously don’t rely on my family for financial support, I suppose you could even say I don’t use them for emotional or even other forms of support really. I truly do consider myself independent in most senses of the word.

But then I thought some more on the ride home….

You know, though I don’t rely on my family for forms of support, I am not as independent as I might be easily persuaded to think tonight…

I think where many folks, as well as many of y’all reading this, get support from blood related family, I get from my family of friends.

I know many of my friends that talk to their mom’s on a daily basis, whether they live with their mom, live within 10 miles of their mom, or even live within 200 miles of their mom. Many women my age turn to their mother’s when they need to “talk” or when they want advice, or just when times are tough. But for me, that is when I turn to friends.

I don’t think I could ever consider myself as truly independent, almost as I don’t think most people could, because I think in a way, we almost always all need someone.

But, for being as independent as we possibly can be, I do see myself “moving right along” (as sung by Fozzie Bear on “The Muppet Movie”…HA!).

I’ll be honest. Tonight on my car ride home I was thinking of two things: 1.) If there is one thing I’m truly learning from my internship experience this semester it is how to weave in and out of traffic like a PRO (VERY safely, mind you…I ALWAYS use my blinker, as well as check my blind spots!) in order to get to my internship as close to “on-time” as possible these past couple weeks…HA!, and 2.) I just like life a whole bunch! It is good, my friends!

Life truly makes me smile; as I found myself just smiling because of it tonight when driving home alone (I’m sure many folks driving by me might have thought I was high on something, but little did they know it was just on life).

But, honestly, can you say you truly do love life? I have to admit, I view myself as a lot happier of a person than most people (sorry, I do…HA!), but I thinking tonight, and I want to give credit to one other person that just jumped into my head tonight as being someone that truly seems happy as often as myself. And this person will know that I’m talking about them when I say this: I truly believe happiness is infectious and because of that, I’ve ALWAYS thought myself and this person take some of my most fun and down-right HAPPY pictures! I love taking pictures with Miss Jennifer Ellison. Though she might have some high(er) standards in life sometimes (tee hee hee…sorry, Ellison, I had to put that), she always seems happy with life.

Blessings on those who are able to find the happiness in life! It’s a GREAT feeling my friends!