A Note of Inspiration.

When someone falls into a zone of comfort, the hardest challenge they then face appears with the arrival of the unknown; a gay entering into a christian community, a student leaving college after bonding with so many friends, and for some, even going to a new coffee shop alone.
As I walk down the streets of San Francisco, my hands still clam up from the discomfort of not knowing the city. While I wait at the bus stop with children smoking pot next to me, I wish for the reassurance of close friends or family members.
Does the sun still rise in morning, set at dusk? Why do people always gravitate towards the familiar material instead of the steady natural?
From the moment I arrived and started work, my journey that began with an overabundance of excitement dwindled into a burning flame of loneliness and anxiety. I knew nothing, knew no one, lost myself on the streets of the city; still, I was alive.
Coping with the unfamiliar normally leads to avoidance. I want to stay inside tonight. I want to go home. Some retreat and fall into depression, others force themselves through, following an imaginary ray of light that we all know lies hiding behind the obstacle in front of us. Even if the road chosen leads to failure, is there really nothing learned? Was there no point, or does disappointment shelter the vision from seeing the full picture of how this mere event leads one to their destiny?
I contemplate my feelings of solitude over the wait for my bus to arrive. Standing there, I saw a group of people staring at the BART map (I know this map, it saved my life. Now, if only they knew names for the numbered streets...). "Excuse me," I forced out despite my instinct to stay silent. I'm not the silent type, yet that's where I retreat. "Where are you trying to go?"
"Pier 33... is this the right bus?"
They were from Germany, with no idea how the public transportation system worked. I offered them directions and informed them that my bus ran right by the pier they were aiming for.
While on the bus, two teenagers contemplated their stopping point. I again offered my help, and assured them I'd show them were to get off. Before I knew it, I was navigating the routes for three groups of people. Having lead them safely to their destinations, they all smiled with pure gratitude while they exited the bus. (My stop is the final destination, so I'm always the last off.)
Still having an hour before work, I perched myself upon the ledge overlooking the sea. While the waves crashed, my hands released and I came to a moment of serenity; they're all different names for the same place. Everyone wants comfort, but everybody needs to accept what they do not know. Before long, even after your ego has been destroyed, you begin to understand and appreciate the unfamiliar.
No matter where you go, people are always willing to help lead you in the right direction. My only advice is to trudge forth smiling, and, no matter how scary, allow people into your life. The sun will always rise, the moon will always shine, and people still care about you. Do not be afraid to "lose" friends or family; in this technological age, they are always less than a day away. Let yourself learn, open yourself to a new world of possibilities, and do not give yourself the chance to retreat.
Having worked at Greens for nine days, I shook myself out of my crushed ego pity party and allowed everyone the chance to teach me. I work the cold food portion of the line and have now been trained for the hot food station. I always push myself, yet ask whenever I need help. I do not allow myself to feel stupid, no matter how stupid I believe I appear.
The point of life is to work, eat, smile and grow. With food still in front of me, a wonderful and challenging job, people to help talk me through the hardships of life and optimism that I won't allow to dim out, life is grand. Nothing could ever replace what I am doing, and I only wish to inspire people to give themselves the chance to challenge life.