I was lost in DC last night.
I was with two of my best friends, driving home from a birthday dinner, and then suddenly we were randomly taking a bunch of turns that weren't going to take us home. (and while it’s true that we also got lost going to the restaurant, that’s not nearly as relevant to this post.)
We were driving through the city, chatting about our plans, our goals, and our futures. We laughed, planned a camping trip and made inappropriate jokes – and somehow got sidetracked and forgot that we were actually going somewhere.
As I sat there listening to my best friends laugh and make fun of each other, I couldn’t help but notice that our scenic detour had taken us past nearly every monument. I stared out the window & watched the monuments pass by, illuminated and standing tall and powerful in night sky.
(…we may or may not have stopped in the middle of the road so I could take this picture with my cell phone. 25 years in one city doesn’t mean you can’t still be a tourist.)
And that’s when it hit me.
I live in a pretty freaking cool place.
Let me start off by saying: I've spent my whole life in Washington D.C. As a native, I'm among the minority in a city of transient politicians, lobbyists and hopeful world changers. People come and go in this city as quickly as the ballots can be counted (and while that's often not as quickly as we'd like, I'm sure you get the general idea.)
And then there's people like me, my immediate family and the friends I grew up with. The pressure-cooker that is our nation's Capitol is home to us. The traffic on the Capitol Beltway is normal and so is the craziness that ensues when an inch of snow falls (I know, but we're Washingtonians. It's just what we do. Next time I suggest you get to the grocery store sooner.)
Yeah, this area has its downfalls. Studio apartments cost more here than a mortgage does in most parts of the country. Drinks at some of the bars can cost upwards of $14. And it is a little annoying to get stuck behind a Presidential motorcade.
But the cool thing? People come here to change the world. They come to this city and these buildings and truly believe that they will be the next history-makers.
And all that idealism that brings people here? Yeah, all of that is engrained in who we are as Washingtonians.
Most of the people my age are pretty driven, really type-A, and a little too willing to tell you their opinion on health care.
And almost all of us think we can change the world.
Sometimes living in the center of the Free World can get to be a bit much. It is really easy to get discouraged, and when Congress almost shuts-down, we're the ones who look around and wonder how the city will continue to function. We're inundated by politics and the 24-hour news cycle more so than anyone else in the country – and trust me, I get tired of it too.
But then I look out the window and see the Washington Monument. Then I see the protests, the debates, the exchange of ideas. I see the people who won't stop fighting for what they believe in. I see the people who won't stop trying, who won't give up. Then I remember what brings people here. Then I remember what this city is about.
That's what I love about this city – and that's what I'll miss most about it come September.
You know, I honestly have no ambition to ever be in politics and I don't really care if I ever make it into a history book.
But, I do hope that I'll never lose the Washingtonian in me. I hope that I'll always see the Capitol steps and think that this world can – and will – change.
And I hope that I’ll always be found working to change it.
(…and just for the record, driving past the Capitol doesn't get old. ever.)
