Salty Rachel | Miss SLC USA LA | SLC
⌲ writer | actor | advocate | voyager
⌲ love | radical honesty | fearless adventure #bethelove saltyrachel.com
ix months ago, if you had asked
me if I loved myself, the answer
would’ve been no.
Luckily nobody asked.
Six months later, everything has changed.
This transformation began the day I decided to spend the summer in Los Angeles. It had been my dream to move here since I was a child. I used to wake my mom up in the middle of the night in tears begging for her to move us. I was only eight years old at the time. Some might say I was a very… passionate… eight year old.
One morning in May, I woke up and decided it was time to see if I could make it in the “City of Angels.”
I had just flown back from LA from a call-back for a reality TV show, and I had caught the LA fever. The moment I decided it was time to make the big leap, I jumped.
S
But I was absolutely terrified. Every single day I called my family saying “I’m so scared… I’m so scared.”
T
hat very day, I quit my job, sold
most of my belongings, and packed up my car to the brim with everything that was left.. I drove the entire 9 hours praying that I wouldn’t ram into another car at 70 mph as I switched lanes. (This is one of those “Do not try this at home kids” kind of stories). Thankfully I made it to the city of my dreams in one piece.
But I was absolutely terrified. Every single day I called my family saying “I’m so scared… I’m so scared.”
Few things in life are as scary as starting over with nothing. I had a temporary place to live, a job that promised pay… eventually… and no friends or support. I was hopeful for all the opportunities that were ahead, but everything was uncertain.
The first 24 hours after I arrived, I was locked out of my new home, and ended up sleeping on the porch until I eventually decided to go to a hotel. When I returned half of my belongings were stolen. I’ll never forget that. But I will also never forget the miraculous recovery of my belongings from a dumpster.
How I Learned Self-love in Just One Afternoon…Sort of.
by rachel slawson
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