Los Angeles, Vegan Fried Chicken, and the Feeling That Life Was Opening Up

The Life of a Modern Renaissance Man: A Video Journal, entry 14

That first flight after quarantine came with equal parts excitement and nerves. Gabrielle and I were heading to Los Angeles, and I had a chance to meet my managers at CMA Entertainment in person. Every step toward a bigger acting career felt especially precious that year.

We landed, dealt with the reality that getting around L.A. can cost a small fortune, and immediately began our usual search for good vegan food. We found enough food to feed a respectable neighborhood and still somehow treated dessert as an urgent question. That's balance.

We also looked at apartments, spent time with Aunt Kim, and shared a wonderful meal with casting director Leah Daniels-Butler and her husband, Blaq. Cooking vegan fried chicken for people we admired was one of those experiences that made our worlds feel connected: performance, hospitality, friendship, and possibility in one room.

The title came from a genuine feeling of gratitude. I knew we were fortunate to have people encouraging us, opening doors, and sharing their time. It was a season when I was thinking a lot about truth, trust, patience, and aligning myself with the life I wanted to create.

I watch this chapter now with affection for the people, the ambition, and the joy we brought into it. Our lives have changed since then, as lives do. The gratitude for those experiences remains.