“Maybe Orange County is changing. Maybe people are a little tired of the cookie-cutter thing. You know what I mean? Maybe we’re outgrowing the backward notion of being embarrassed by not having a fancier car or a big enough house. Those are not real struggles.
“There does seem to be a little movement towards celebrating differences, moving away from trying to be the same and look like everybody else and have the things they have. If it’s going to happen anywhere in Orange County, I think Costa Mesa is one of the places to spark a movement like that.
“There seems to be a rising celebration of uniqueness in our city. Mom often says, ‘People who choose to live in Costa Mesa are people who like diversity.’ I love it when people visit me and it blows away their misconceptions about Orange County. I love it when they remark what a neat neighborhood this is and how it’s so different than what they expected.
“I think the more you see that people actually like when someone’s a little different, it gives you courage to be a little different, too. I definitely went through those teenage years where I felt pressure to fit in. I was like, ‘Whoa! What? Why am I’m being called out for being different?’ But for the most part, I totally celebrate it now. I’m very, very comfortable being as unique as I am.”
– Arlis Reynolds, Resident, Costa Mesa
