Life Moves Too Fast

And just like that- 2023 is over. 

It was a year full of joy, love, self-realization, fulfillment, curiosity, fear, and nostalgia.

For the first time probably ever, the dawn of a new year makes me scared.

I want to hold onto my friends in their little spaces in my life forever. I want to further my career but I also want to stay a kid. I want to explore new places and new friendships but I fear the unknown. I want to know...

When do you start feeling like an adult?

When do you know you have adult money? When do you feel confident to handle adult problems like taxes, car registration, retirement plans, career development and all of those things?

The future scares me.

But my love for art, Earth, and most especially - my family - keeps me grounded. The dawn of a new year may scare me but the dawn of new growth and love for my siblings, parents, uncles and grandparents doesn't. 

My boyfriend met my grandparents (Momo and TC) the other day and it meant the world to me.

He talked about electrical engineering and soldering with my grandpa while my grandma told me stories about her time at UC Berkeley, riding vintage European bikes to campus with her twin sister and getting her socks and loafers wet in the rain.

I'm still processing the events of 2023 in my endless Nikon photos and in my mind but my grandma reminds me that an abundance of stories show a life well lived. 

She's lived a lot and keeps on going.

She's hired a new environmental impact intern and she's starting a new quilt. Floral fabrics (my favorite). 

She's learned to balance family, work, learning, and art– blending them altogether in living room conversation. 

I'm grateful for another year of life with her.