I've come to learn that things can be both true and false. I can hate Florida, but also love it more than I realize. I can love the beach but also long for the cold, frosty weather. Not everything is so black and white. 

I’ve always been a sunshine girl. I loved the smell of the salty air and the way sun scream would stick to me. I loved the way the sand would burn my toes during the summer, and I especially loved washing my hair and finding tiny pieces of seaweed tangled inside. I used to pretend I was a mermaid. I bought about 200 dollars worth of tails, and my room was a gentle sea foam blue and the collection of shells on my desk rattled whenever I closed my bedroom door.

But it’s getting too sunny, and i want to feel colder. I’m no longer a radiant, brilliant yellow. Instead i appreciate the cool air and the way it feels to have the crisp air whip your hair in every direction. I am learning to enjoy the way I scour my weather app for cold, inspired days; and hating the way the humid air chokes me when walking out the door. 

But I will always love summer. It defines parts of me. I’m too scared to get rid of my floral pattered dresses from Billabong in case i accidentally throw out some old part of me. I am trying to fit new puzzle pieces into my skin and hoping old parts of myself wont fall off in the process because I love who I was. I love who I am. I love the beach, and I love the mountains. I love the salt air, and the way the lake will freeze over in North Carolina.

I love that I have the ability to take life in like it is art. I love that I don't box off parts of myself to define who I am as a person. I can be a collage of multiple seasons, colors, and passions.