Unfortunately, this is true.

I’m leaving Virginia for the time being and I’m taking everything I can with me in a PT Cruiser with no back seats. My car is FULL and I can’t see out the rearview mirror. I think I could be dead by the time you read this since I’ll be driving in rain out of Virginia/Maryland and approaching heavy snow in Michigan.

But maybe like in the Fight Club movie, in death, I’ll have a name. I was going to do a farewell from DC post but now I’ll be creepy and make people look at it as a farewell from life post even though I’m betting against death by fiery car crash.

I know there are quite a few people whom I have met or have become better friends with in DC that I’d like to personally dedicate this post to. But I know that since I’m typing this after midnight, I’m going to leave out one or two people that I really should say a few words to. Instead, I’ll send you all something personal as soon as I get settled in my new destination in the new year.

I feel like I’ve learned way more about life simply by living in DC for 3 years than I would have if I had stayed in Michigan. I believe I’d most likely be doing the same things I had done all my life and hung out with mostly the same people I grew up with. I’d almost definitely still be under the tyrannical dictatorship of my parents (a bit of an exaggeration). I wouldn’t have met my past two girlfriends. I wouldn’t have made a ridiculous amount of money doing absolutely no work. I wouldn’t have made a ton of friends from all over the world that I’ll undoubtedly be in touch with for the rest of my life. I have someone who calls me their very best friend (VBF!) who I probably wouldn’t even talk to today if I wasn’t in DC. I have a great friend with whom I started going to a really amazing church with every Sunday. I’d probably still be going to my parents’ boring church if I’d stayed in Michigan.

I can say without a doubt that I would be a COMPLETELY different person in EVERY WAY right now if I had stayed in Michigan. I think the only thing that would be the same is that I would’ve had a job punching keys on a keyboard all day (for WAY less money) and that I’d probably be driving the same car (or the car that I smashed up before).

The most important thing that I learned while in DC was that taking a ton of money doing a job I HATE is the worst thing I could ever do to myself. I had way more money than I should’ve had and all I did was spend it on CRAP that I didn’t need and barely used. It was almost shameful when I saw all the GARBAGE that I accumulated over the years in an effort to find happiness. I realized in the end that the only way to find happiness is to spend my short time in this life doing something I truly enjoy. Once I did that, I actually looked forward to waking up at 8am and getting ready for my day of what I enjoy. I actually enjoyed my nights of photography instead of wasting away in front of a computer or television. I did those things to avoid sleep because I knew that once sleep was over, I’d have to go back to wasting my youth at work doing nothing at a place I really didn’t want to be.

The one thing that BLEW MY MIND was that as soon as I stopped going to work, I completely lost my urge to drink alcohol EVER. I realized a few weeks ago that the two DIRECTLY coincided with each other. I stopped drinking entirely within a week of no longer going to work. Drinking was my escape from the disgustingly harsh reality that the rest of my life would be filled with me getting bossed around by losers if I didn’t do something about it. And instead of doing something about it, I would escape with alcohol. Unfortunately and very fortunately, I realized that fact only after I took action. Sadly, I still see people my age doing the same thing and I don’t know what to do about it. But now, my life is controlled by me alone and now I feel like a real human. I don’t believe we exist to work for some company all day that will fire you for not coming in by 9am every single day among other silly reasons.

On a more positive note, DC, to me, feels like everywhere else in this country combined. Anything that anywhere else is known for can be found in DC. Name anything and what city that represents in the comments and I’ll tell you where you can find it in the DC area. Whether it be for 6 months or 60 years, I feel that everyone should live in the DC area for some time in their life. I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything!

But I digress. In closing, just know that if you get a call from me in the days between now and January 3rd-ish, understand that, even if I don’t say it during the call, you had a major impact on my life. My life is only going to be amazing because you all were in it and I don’t think there’s any way to repay that but I will make the effort. Even if you’re one of the many people I haven’t spoken with since I left my first job, you all are still in my heart. Even if we had a relationship-ending disagreement, I hope you can look at it as a a learning experience and we can get past it and continue to grow together. I’m going to do everything I can to stay in touch with everyone that I can.

But first, I have to make it to Michigan.

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