year one
It's my anniversary. One year ago this morning, I was driving through the Cascade Mountains with all of my personal belongings crammed into my trusty hatchback. I pulled up to an apartment building, clutching my Google maps in one hand and trying to hold my excitement and nerves in. I walked into my apartment, sight unseen (except for a handful of pictures), and took the keys offered. I was home.
One year later, I am a Seattleite. I renewed my lease on my Capitol Hill home base and look forward to yet another new phase of my life. I don't look back. I look forward. And I pat Heidi from a year ago on the back for following through on a decision that caused a lot of disruption and even alienated many people in her life. It was the right decision.
I am a very lucky person. There are a lot of things that I want out of life, and that I still want to experience. But I have already learned a great deal about what I DON'T want, and that's just as valuable. The ability to recognize that and reach for things that may not be easy to attain is one of my strengths. Even if I occasionally feel weak in the trying. I have found myself again - that passion for work, life and relationships that propel us forward. I get to write about and celebrate independent music for a living. I have employed my design skills at a place where they appreciate them. Every day I wake up and am thankful that I followed my own inner voice telling me it was time to make a change.
It's not all unicorns and rainbows. Life is hard sometimes. This past year has been extremely difficult for a variety of personal reason, but in the midst of that I bear no regrets. I have found my footing again. I thank my friends and family for their patience while I took the necessary time to do so. There are people in my life that I miss every day - those still with us and those that are not. There are people and places that I do not miss at all. These are all very telling signs that I am doing something right.
I also can't express enough how much of a difference it makes to surround yourself with an environment that energizes you and gives you comfort. I now live in a place where the larger conscience is more in line with my own. It's a relief to feel like you're surrounded by people who are looking forward in a progressive way, even if they're strangers.
Things I am still not tired of, even after a year: rounding the corner on Broadway to walk back down to my apartment and seeing the Olympic Mountains/Space Needle vista through the buildings; walking the shoreline, any shoreline, and absorbing the energy that provides; fresh brewed Caffee Vita coffee; stunning views of Mt Rainier when the "mountain is out"; and my newfound love of getting slightly lost in the offshoot trails during a hike.
No, I don't look back. I look forward. Here's to another year in a city I now call home.
One year later, I am a Seattleite. I renewed my lease on my Capitol Hill home base and look forward to yet another new phase of my life. I don't look back. I look forward. And I pat Heidi from a year ago on the back for following through on a decision that caused a lot of disruption and even alienated many people in her life. It was the right decision.
I am a very lucky person. There are a lot of things that I want out of life, and that I still want to experience. But I have already learned a great deal about what I DON'T want, and that's just as valuable. The ability to recognize that and reach for things that may not be easy to attain is one of my strengths. Even if I occasionally feel weak in the trying. I have found myself again - that passion for work, life and relationships that propel us forward. I get to write about and celebrate independent music for a living. I have employed my design skills at a place where they appreciate them. Every day I wake up and am thankful that I followed my own inner voice telling me it was time to make a change.
It's not all unicorns and rainbows. Life is hard sometimes. This past year has been extremely difficult for a variety of personal reason, but in the midst of that I bear no regrets. I have found my footing again. I thank my friends and family for their patience while I took the necessary time to do so. There are people in my life that I miss every day - those still with us and those that are not. There are people and places that I do not miss at all. These are all very telling signs that I am doing something right.
I also can't express enough how much of a difference it makes to surround yourself with an environment that energizes you and gives you comfort. I now live in a place where the larger conscience is more in line with my own. It's a relief to feel like you're surrounded by people who are looking forward in a progressive way, even if they're strangers.
Things I am still not tired of, even after a year: rounding the corner on Broadway to walk back down to my apartment and seeing the Olympic Mountains/Space Needle vista through the buildings; walking the shoreline, any shoreline, and absorbing the energy that provides; fresh brewed Caffee Vita coffee; stunning views of Mt Rainier when the "mountain is out"; and my newfound love of getting slightly lost in the offshoot trails during a hike.
No, I don't look back. I look forward. Here's to another year in a city I now call home.
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