PNW girlie

aspirations of a new Seattle transplant

After leaving California
a place I called home for 20 years
I came to Seattle with anxiety and hope
in search of something new
also to appease my loving husband
who hates sunshine and yearns for 
in person interaction at work

I did not expect my first love in Seattle
to be a grocery store 
But the aisles of fresh baked pineapple buns and egg tarts at T&T
Had me going back every week
with my shopping bags filled to the brim 

I also love the local library
that has free workshops in their Makerspace
and where I met 
a mother and her teenage daughter from Thailand
that reminded me of me and my mom when we first moved to the States

And oh the greenery! 
Maybe it’s me trying to assimilate
and become a PNW hippie
But I find myself enjoying
Rain drops on the window and hazy distant tree shadows
Panorama of Mt. Rainer and Lake Washington 
when driving down I-90 on a sunny day 
The breathtaking forest view from the IKEA Renton parking lot
Rows of multi-color tulips blooming in Skagit Valley

I feel myself healing in nature
and my creativity slowly flowing again
like a stream of river

Here’s to becoming 
a PNW girlie
who thrives in comfort and cozy
through art and books and walks under trees
she stays in touch with her spirituality
and finds her inner peace

Call me
a PNW girlie
in my flowy tee and baggy jeans
We are shedding expectations and hard edges
because softness is the new strong

Did you say something?
I can’t hear your Slack pings 
because Mother Nature is calling
So I am leaving 
to become
a PNW girlie

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash