same, but different
Well hello there! It has been some time hasn’t it! Apologies for some radio silence here, I was heads down on a product launch at work. Some of you may have heard of it by now?! YouTube.com/Fashion [If not, look no further than Glamour for the quick 411 ;) ] Anyway, now that I’m resurfacing for air you know that one of my favorite things to do is create for this space. So I’m making time again to do just that.
But enough about work. After the fancy shmancy launch all I wanted to do was escape. And a retreat to Mendocino sounded just like what the doctor ordered. A weekend spent with some lovely people, having lovely conversations, and asking {and trying to answer) some big questions. Seeing as how I needed more than 2 days to recharge and was already so close, I decided to make a pit stop in San Francisco to visit my beloved ex-roomies in our beloved apartment [beloved because now that I live in my tiny closet West Village closet, I have a newfound appreciation for that apt]. But I wasn’t only visiting, I was also giving one last farewell. You see, September is the last month for them in our Hayes Valley abode. One of my ladies is coming to join me in NYC [still jumping for joy over this!] and the other is about to embark on her next adventure [and I’m so so proud of her].
It was quite interesting to go back to the same place, but different at the same time. Rolanda, what does that even mean? In many ways, it did all feel quite the same. The apartment looked the same [everything minus my room of course]; it even smelled the same. Hayes Valley was also practically the same- except for a new pizza shop and the closing of another boutique, nonetheless the Salt and Straw line was out the door, of course.
Everything was also different. I was different. I remembered all the emotions I was harboring as I walked down those apartment steps every morning or even just on my daily morning walk to my shuttle. I walked those exact streets and it all felt so different now. It was quite liberating to be in such a different headspace now. It almost felt like an outer body experience to be living the results of what took months and months of manifestation while I was living there. It was a true testament to how far I’ve come. How far all 3 of us have come.
So, while my thoughts on San Francisco have not changed, one thing remains to be true- my chapter in San Francisco has truly shaped me to be who I am today. The love and sisterhood I shared with my roomies across our three apartments over the course of our three years in that city will always be strong. And like them, SF will always be a part of me.
Dress: Le Tote; Boots: Steve Madden; Sunglasses: Dolce & Gabbana; Bag: Coach
Photos by: Stan Schor
