To LA,

as the air hangs thick with more than smoke.

This week has been devastating in Los Angeles.

Homes have been lost, lives uprooted, and the air hangs thick with more than just smoke. It carries the weight of uncertainty, grief, and equally resilience as we move forward.

I moved to this incredible city in 2018. It was the best choice of my life. It changed me.

A Runyon Canyon Hike

This city has always felt expansive, freeing, and truly artistic to me, like a place where anything is possible. Now, I’m learning what is possible in such a new and profound ways, through the upwelling of community support. Watching people come together to offer aid, resources, and comfort has been extraordinary.

Since the fires first began, I have been hearing from countless LA friends as we send texts and updates, some filled with mini “wins” such as “our evacuation notice has been lifted! The pets and I can go back to our apartment now!” and others with heartbreaking news and realities about friends, families, and community spaces they’ve held sacred, n…