Speed.
Small town city life was calm and simple. Driving was easy when the streets were bare. There weren’t too many unfamiliar faces, so that made me unprepared for leaving. I didn’t expect the change that came with living in Indy. Only when my mother reached the first stoplight did I realize how fast we were going. She was bringing me to my first meeting on the University of Indianapolis campus when I started to realize just how much my life was going to change. Life moves faster here, the road compensated for that. I’d visited before but I never took a moment to look around the city as the lights were almost always green, there was no time. The lights meshed with the buildings creating one moving blur, I didn’t see the appeal. I much preferred my small town life, nothing was better than a small community to me. My life was slow and I liked having a pattern, it was easy.
I don’t think I could ever go back to that. The city breathes so loudly but I can’t stop listening, there is so much color here my eyes could wander for hours. It moves fast, yes, but it is comforting to know that there are so many people here. I came here to study English, creative writing, and, initially, I was so worried that I wouldn’t find any inspiration here. That I wouldn’t be able to focus midst all the motion. But, I have found that that is my favorite thing about living here. I have had amazing interactions with writers here that are used to living in the city and they’ve given me the fuel I need to keep up. I’ve grown fond of the speed.