I’m convinced that DC is a place you live when you still need to find yourself, discover and develop yourself.

DC is not about love.

Washington, as we locals call (guess I can actually call myself that now) it, is beautiful, don’t get me wrong. I’m in love with its architecture, culture, and history. From time to time, I’m even in love with its proximity to power, but it is not the best place for a formerly hopeless, now realistic, romantic.

I think it’s the hustler’s mentality that exists. Yes, similar to NYC, just without the laidback-ness that the nation’s first capital possesses, Washington is overrun by hustlers: both native and imported. The city, the DMV area, has something that forces you to constantly be “on." There is no one, and I mean no one, I know in the area who does not have at least 1-2 side hustles in addition to their main job.

We. work. hard. We also tend to play hard. Each one of us has a vice.

Want to stop to smell the flowers? Okay, that’s fine, just make sure you step to the side before you do because we are busy and will undoubtedly be too busy looking at our phones, checking texts, and responding to emails while listening to the latest podcast, to not run you over if you get in our way.

Don’t get me started on the traffic.

High intensity. High energy. Twenty-four hours a day. My mind works, constantly—even when I’m asleep. We’re continuously building, working to make our lives better. Because someone can and will take your spot if you’re caught slipping. The competition is real.

Washington is a place you go if you want a crash course on who you really are. It will come out, trust me. Therapists are balling out ‘chea!

We have made "Sex and the City" a reality. In this "me" town, there's not much time for "us." So what do you do when you’ve found yourself, you've discovered yourself, but still, crave something that the city can’t give?

Most leave. This is why the city is so transient. After years of the noise, you yearn for some form of peace and quiet. For me, that’s where the romantic resides: peace amidst chaos. She offers balance to her sometimes-ruthless, ambitious, type-a controlling counterpart. She brings the creativity, the art. She stops to marvel at the flowers and the trees.

She falls in love.

I've learned that in Washington, my twins are in an ongoing power struggle. Last year, the Washingtonian won. This year, I’m giving the Romantic more rule so they can finally learn to co-exist. I'm entering my Reconstruction and I’m eager to see what will happen next.

Washington has taken as much as he has given, but one thing I won’t allow him to take is my ability to love.

I haven’t given up. I don’t go down that easily.