When I see those infamous windmills I am home and I feel comfortable, confident and happy. I feel complete. I feel loved. It's hard to leave this time around. Mostly because my medication is finally starting to take effect and I am becoming the Erika you all know and love. My skin is shedding and my shell is cracking, exposing me to the world as the person I was always meant to be. The final stages of my grown seems to be leading me to my hometown for some reason. I came for just a weekend and ended up staying an entire week. I am not avoiding my home, but this is something I feel the need to do. I have demons in my hometown that I need to conquer and let me tell you, I am conquering! I also feel as sense of independence which I haven't felt in years as I became codependent on Ken. It is important to me to be able to care for myself on my own without relying on anyone else to always pick up the pieces. I'm sure it can be an exhausting job to take care of a loved one without being able to do anything to help them but offer support.
I diverse, back to home. Palm Springs, California or more specifically Cathedral City, California. I'm sure most of you know or at least have heard of the desert. After being here a few days I remembered why I love it so much. Aside from having a lot of old friends here that I can still visit with, it's where I grew up. I also have about 90% of my family that still lives here so it's always exciting to come back and see them all (or at least most of them). Here are some other reason I love this wonderful
hot ass place I call home...
The mountains surrounding the desert area are indescribably beautiful. I will try to paint a picture for you, they are so enchanting. Any direction you look you'll see the majestic mountains making you feel like this little valley is inside a bowl, which is probably one of the reasons it's so hard to leave. It can be the ugliest day of the year weather wise but those mountains make you feel like home. There are point in the valley that you can actually drive up to the edge of the mounting and touch it's hard exterior making this gem of a place I call home even more beautiful.The after rain smell of the desert is breathtaking. After it rains, there is a local plant that exposes it's smell and it really is amazing. Rare with it being the desert and all but when we get it, you'll notice every local breathing in a little deeper enjoying it while it last.
If you're from here, you always belong here. You will always be a local, you will always know the same people and you will always be accepted. If you're in Africa and you meet someone from La Quinta you are instantly friends. The reason is because this dessert really is a small area and we all have each other's backs. So meeting someone from this area outside of the desert always puts a smile on my face.
As much as people who are from here complain about it often, we all know that it's home. It's the place we always come back to. I'm happy to be home this week and getting reacquainted with my home town.
xoxo
-EMM
