The summer after my first year of law school, I hiked this trail almost every morning. Instead of going to Starbucks or Noah's Bagels at 6:00 a.m. with a backpack filled with law books, I headed for this trail with only a notebook, a couple of pens, and my portable CD player. (It was the days before iPods and smartphones.) So, with music from Enya's Watermark or The Memory of Trees album to keep me company, I walked this cracked, uneven road to a bench underneath a big tree, where I would write.
It was here where I contemplated dropping out of law school. The first year was really hard. As much as I wanted to be a lawyer, I also wanted to be a writer. But law consumed my life, leaving no room for the creative arts that satisfied my soul. So, that summer, I walked. And I wrote.
It was here where I realized that law school was where I belonged. And where I also realized that writing will always be a part of who I am. I promised never to stop.
Almost fourteen years later, I'm hiking this trail again. I'm a different person, but also the same. Now I know that staying didn't only make sense, but was the right choice. I can't leave this place. My heart is here.
Wilacre Park
(also known as Fryman Canyon trail)
Studio City, CA
That scenery is so beautiful! I feel like my heart could be there too :)
ReplyDeleteI could sit and stare at that view for hours. :)
DeleteLove this post. As a fellow lawyer/writer ... I want to hike there also.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Hiking there helps maintain my sanity. I think it's almost necessary. :)
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