LOS ANGELES.

“It’s time that everybody accept themselves, be glorified within themselves and love one another. We’re all in this together.”

An important reminder from Bill Rosendahl for today and the next after that!️

I had this whole plan for today to promote breast cancer awareness and share the #pinkpower with a pink shirt picture, but we’re doing something a little different.

I had this whole plan for this specific Los Angeles blog post to share the great spring break with friends I had earlier this year, but we’re adding something on top of that.

I had this whole plan for sharing this big part of me with you that I’ve been developing in my head since elementary school. I had even contemplated doing it last Friday, October 10th- National Coming Out Day, which was also World Mental Health day- a cause near and dear to my heart!

I had this whole plan.

But plans don’t always go accordingly.

Life sure never goes accordingly.

But I know one recipe for happiness very congruent with this truth, choosing not to be hiccuped by those curve-balls. That still means to feel your feelings, feel your reality, really LIVE! Being grateful for the experiences that you are given and seeking to understand those lessons that you are meant to learn from these experiences.

This isn’t the source [social media] that I thought I would originally do this through, but writing is such a thorough and permanent form of communication, so here I am.

In conversing with my sister and my aunt today, I hesitated yet again from even sharing this at a fear that I’m following into a pattern that is dividing.

Please do not misconstrue my unwavering belief that we are all humans. Humans deserving of love. Humans deserving of support. Humans deserving of acceptance.

There is something I craved to be able to tell you that better describes my humanity, but doesn’t fully define it. I really feel that I should have told you a very long time ago, I absolutely wanted to in many moments, I despised the idea in other moments. You may already know. You may have already assumed.

I am gay.

I tell you this divinely personal truth as means to be out and proud or what ever other cliche line you want to call it.

It’s been far longer than I wish.

All of elementary school and middle school questioning and feeling confused and oh so different. All of high school and more that I have been ruminating in acceptance, sometimes even fear.

Most of college and up to this point that I searched and lived in a manner that I am ever so happy with myself and felt a state of normal that I hadn’t known before. I am learning new things about myself every single day. Learning how my sexuality and I fit in this big old world.

When I started drafting this about a year ago, this is where I was going to insert an apology for some things like “if my closetedness has made anyone feel awkward or uncomfortable or if my outness evokes any parallel feelings.”

Present me doesn’t believe that there are any apologies necessary here.

NO SORRYS HERE.

Certain circumstances made me hesitant to broadcast this fact about myself. But early this morning, I shared a “Latter Gay Saint” article on my Facebook. In reading Glenda’s story about her daughter Candice, I was very touched and I could even say that it got my tear ducts going strong. I was happy with, but also very anxious with, the response I got.

I chose to channel that anxiety into transparency and making this the “perfect” time for me to be an open book. To show my core, now, rather than later. I have a sincere love for this life and world that I have been given and I intend to live it to the fullest.

I can be who I am and I am grateful to be who I am. This does not change who I am, but reveals more wholly who I am.

I am Jake, your friend, brother, son, cousin, supporter, encourager, coworker, peer, fellow human.

From whichever perspective you view me, know me, Jake, I ask that you respect and love everyone, for you don’t know what they’re going through or feeling. Let’s break away from shunning, judging, inflicting unnecessary pain. And let’s embrace everyone. Exercising this in the form of lifting up every single person, no matter their background or the labels that the world may place on them.

Like Jesus, like Buddha, like Bill Rosendahl, all said,

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

*read about my spring break trip below 🙂

Los Angeles. Oh what a wonderful and bustling place. When life gives you cheap plane tickets to this shining ray of sunshine city in southern California and some wonderful friends, you don’t turn down that opportunity. So for our spring break, we did just that!

SPRING BREAK!

With those cheap flights, we weren’t all on the same flight lol, so we started the trip meeting up at LAX.

We hopped off the plane at LAX-

“Hey alexa, play ‘Party in the U.S.A.’ by Miley Cyrus!”

More like play ‘Hey Ya!’ by Outkast! This was pretty much our theme song of the trip. Played it everywhere we went.

And by everywhere, I mean our fun (crazy) and interesting (scary) rides on the city bus and public metro.

We got to experience public transportation at it’s prime, let’s just put it that way!

It’s hard to choose only a few photographs to share- with such a wonderful week of ventures. These are a few of the amazing sights. We had to hit the stereotypical ones of course- Hollywood Sign,

Griffith Observatory,

Santa Monica Pier,

The Grove,

LACMA,

Venice Beach,

Grand Central Market,

saw my best friend :),

to name a few 🙂

We didn’t make it to coachella, even though I was told one of the days that I was dressed like it. (*insert gushing heart-eyes here)

Highlight of this trip: ROLLERBLADING DOWN THE BEACH

Hands down, one of the most fantastic activities I have ever done!

*just don’t fall hehehe*