Nomadic

Seattle, WA

I remember the first time I visited Seattle back in February 2017. The idea of leaving Minneapolis was not a new one – I had been contemplating an exit for a few years, but I wasn’t clear on a landing spot.

After my final angiogram at the University of Iowa in spring of 2016, I felt freed enough to put a real plan in place – I would no longer be tethered to this region of the country. Over the summer leading into the fall months, I aggressively interviewed with PetSmart corporate in Phoenix. Twice. The recruiter was convincing; I was looking forward to the dry heat of Arizona

Where The Magic Happens: Pike Place Market, Seattle

Nothing happened there. As a result, I took a gig at a software company with a satellite office in Minnesota. It was a strategic move - the option to telecommute opened the door to “location exploration.” The tech giant is headquartered in the heart of downtown Bellevue, WA – a “suburb” of Seattle.

My only references to the Emerald City were Nirvana and the cast of 1998’s “The Real World,” – I was 10 when it aired on MTV. The opening scene for the show included a shot of the famous fish throwers at Pike Place Market.

Google told me the skies were overcast for most of the year and it rained a lot.

“I can do that – it’s not snow!”

This would be my ticket out of the Midwest. This would be my ticket into corporate marketing.

For my 29th birthday, I decided to book a flight – I wanted to see and feel the energy of Seattle before I made a permanent leap; I’m a calculated risk kind of gal.

The landscape from above heights in the plane were breathtaking – snow capped mountains, the rigidity of the terrain. The vegetation blossomed as we moved closer to small towns and bigger cities. I’m not an “outdoorsy” person by any stretch, but I can appreciate the beauty and importance of lush greenery and clean air.

I stayed at the famous Green Tortoise Hostel downtown. The patrons at the hostel were varied; travelers from all over the world passed through to stop and crash for a few nights.

The Green Tortoise staff treated us kindly, putting together tours for those that wanted to get to know the city at a more intimate level. I happily signed up and was given the chance to see the [once] popular and thriving neighborhood of Capitol Hill. Ride the light rail transit for the first time. Pass the Jimmy Hendrix statue in front of Blick Art Materials. Walk through Cal Anderson park. See a live band at the Cha Cha Lounge. Drink a cheap Rainier Beer. Restaurants, bars, art, music – my Midwestern eyes were overwhelmed by the stimulation.

On the day of my birthday, the sky greyed over with a coat of wetness hitting the ground. I got up early and walked across the street to Pike Place Market, finding a cozy spot at Storyville Coffee to jot down a journal entry:

2.25.17, Seattle. Happy Birthday!

“Today is my birthday – I can’t believe I made it out here. I can’t believe it’s happening. Seattle. 29. My God – I don’t know how to feel. I’ve been up since 3:30am. Can’t sleep, my mind is racing. Can I move here? Start over? It’s hilly – driving would be a bitch. That scares me – I’m already a shitty driver. It’s so different here, but still a little familiar. Seattle is like a Minneapolis/Denver hybrid. It’s so far way from everything. I’m starting to get scared. It’s also expensive here – everyone I meet, confirms the high COL.

I met a guy last night on Bumble who just so happens to be from Iowa, lol. The artsy type – he paints. Super liberal, friendly. When I first arrived on Thursday, I met this woman from Canada – she reminds me of [name redacted]. Bleach blonde hair, short, super chill. Great style.

The ambient music in this coffeeshop is fitting for my mood: somber. 29. Twenty-fucking-nine. I can do this! The fact of the matter is – I don’t have a choice. [Company Name Redacted] is headquartered, here. If I want to get into marketing, this is the way to do it! I have to move.”

The skies eventually cleared enough for me to take a solo walk around Downtown, into Belltown. Ensconced between skyscrapers and a two-story Target, I watched crowds of people rush the market on a Saturday afternoon.

Trudging up first avenue on an incline, a chic French breakfast spot caught my eye – the line was long, but I didn’t care. After waiting for 45 minutes, I was let in to be placed at the bar area. An older couple sitting next to me, overheard ramblings with my family over the phone – they wished me “Happy Birthday” and extended a friendly gesture by paying for my food.

Seattle Skyline Featuring The Oh So Famous: Space Needle. — Seattle Skyline Featuring The *Oh So Famous*: Space Needle.

I came to Seattle with ideas about what wanted to accomplish. My little sister and I road tripped from Minneapolis - I knew no one. When she dropped me off my heart sank, fearful of doing this alone, but opened quickly to the endless possibilities of what could be.

I gave Seattle a good try. I did, but I didn’t accomplish any of my initial goals during my 3-year stay. What I did do, as cheesy as it sounds, is make lifelong friendships. Rediscover self and formulate redirection.

Here’s what I will miss: long nights dancing to 80’s cover bands and 90’s jams.

First Thursday Art Walks in Pioneer Square ▪ Friendsgiving when many of us couldn’t make it home ▪ Seattle coffeeshops ▪ Tinder date recaps with my old roommate and new girlfriends ▪ Metropolitan Market ▪ slow hikes among the countless trails of Washington state ▪ Beacon Hill ▪ my dance studio in Greenlake ▪ beer festivals and farmers markets. The local band scene and sing-along events.

Eccetera.

Circumstances surrounding my departure are sordid, long and ironic. I’ve recounted the story multiple times and don’t feel the need to get into it again.

2020 left its’ mark; the kind of reverberation that will last for a while. In this tense climate, many people have had to adjust and pivot - I am no exception.

The frustration and sadness that I had to leave so soon before planned is still there, but the realization around why it was necessary, is not lost on me.

Sometimes, life comes at you fast. Sometimes you just need to go home.

Mood Music: Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver

Home, Seattle, WA

* COVID-19 has put a damper on my coffee crashing. I’m social distancing by drinking my coffee from the comfort [and safety] of my home.

Although I am in Seattle [the original US hotbed of the respiratory illness], my family lives over 1,300 miles away in the Midwest. Unfortunately, I was unable to get home before the spread started; I would have loved to be with my parents who are embedded in a rural community.

At the time of posting, the virus has not impacted that part of the country in the way it has coastal cities, but I am still anxious; it’s only a matter of time. Apparently, their strategy is more reactive than proactive - Iowa is one of 5 states that still do not have a “Stay At Home,” statewide order in place.

My family primarily works in the service industry where they either a) have continual contact with the public b) work in manufacturing in close quarters with other people – without a supreme sense of urgency, “loosely enforcing” folks to social distance, fall on deaf ears. Some are doing it, most are not.

All three of my immediate family members belong to the high-risk health category for a number of reasons, so yes, I’m a little scared. Be that as it may, the privilege I have in this situation is not lost on me – I’m not struggling financially, I can pay the rent and still maintain the ability to shield myself from increased exposure.

My experience as a 3-year telecommuter has, in essence, “prepared” me for this moment. I have the tools to work both comfortably and successfully beyond the brick-and-mortar.

The personal adjustments come from having to deal with someone else in the home, simultaneously – I’m used to being alone during the day; there has been a disruption to my normal routine that has taken time to get used to.

I’m certainly not alone: a lot of people are dealing with spouses and children in shared spaces. It’s annoying at best and incredibly frustrating at worst. Then there are the jobs, lost. People have mouths to feed and bills to pay. The economy is crashing. Folks are tired, restless and stir crazy. We don’t know who to believe, who to blame.

When does it all end? Seattle has a date to “open,” but does that really mean anything? And what will stepping out in the world look like after Corona?

Listen, I’m an introverted hermit – I can entertain myself for hours on end, but this is a lot, even for me. I miss my friends, going to live show events, dinner and happy hours, taking in-person dance classes, working out [at a gym] etc.

We all feel the burden in varied degrees.

I belong to several stroke support groups on Facebook – when COVID concerns took off toward the beginning of March, many wondered how it would affect those of us who had gone through a brain hemorrhage.

Looking to the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association as trusted resource for stroke related information, most if not every article I found, pointed back to their website.

The American Stroke Associate has a Podcast episode on Stroke & COVID featuring Christopher Ewing, a Stroke Survivor living in California and Dr. Mitchell, S.V. Elkind, MD a Neurologist and stroke expert. The both of them shed light on a couple of concerns for us:

Interviewer: Dr. Elkin, are stroke survivors like Christopher at increased risk of getting the Covid-19 virus?

Dr. Mitchell Elkin: Yes. It seems like that's the case. Reports from China indicate that patients with heart disease and high blood pressure as well as the elderly are at higher risk of this virus, of Covid-19. And we think the same is likely to be true for patients with stroke. Probably because there's a lot of overlap between heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke, so that's why it's especially important for people who are more vulnerable, like older patients or people with heart disease and stroke to practice physical distancing and hand washing and the avoidance of unnecessary interaction with other people who may be exposed, which is I think the kinds of experiences that Chris was just telling us about, when he went shopping and things like that. Unfortunately, it does look like there is some increased risk. We don't know exactly how much yet. We need to do more research particularly here in the United States.

Interviewer: If stroke patients do get infected, are they at a greater risk of experiencing more complications?

Dr. Mitchell Elkin: That also does seem to be the case. People who have underlying heart disease and stroke do seem to have a higher risk of complications. This may be because of an increased susceptibility to the virus, it could also be that the body in somebody who has had heart disease or stroke has less what we would call physiological reserve or the ability to handle any kind of illness. So a severe illness can make things worse. It's the same kind of thing that we've seen for many years with diseases like the flu, so that's why, for example, The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association have been recommending for many years that people who have heart disease and stroke get vaccinated against the flu. Unfortunately, of course, we don't have a vaccine for Covid yet, but the same kind of issue would likely apply.

I have a regular rotation of culture commentary podcasts that I listen to, each throwing in their 2 cents. Beside incompetent, unprepared leadership [fish rots from the head, no?] what is the more spiritual representation of everything going on?

Some believe that the world needed to stop: we were moving too much, too fast, too hard. The earth continues to rot – WE are the disease, destroying her with our negligent air pollution and other forms of poison.

Earthlings were given multiple warnings through increased natural disasters - we still weren’t compelled enough to change, entirely. The universe decided enough was enough and here we are.

When we return to walk the land, we can’t go back to how it was. We just can’t.

I don’t like the idea of telling people what to do in their time of quarantine: we’re in the middle of a crisis – everyone is going to handle it, differently.

But what does it bring up for you to be still? This is my world. There are many days after work I spend drinking wine and thinking. Eating edibles and Netflixing. Yoga. Chatting with my folks, wishing I was there. Other days I have ideas. Some days I put those ideas into motion – depends on my energy level and mood. Revising my [written] work, prepping for a fellowship [post on that later], social media management.

You can be productive, you can not be productive.

Do whatever will cause the least amount of harm…to you.

Stay safe out there.

Mood Music: What’s Going On? - Marvin Gaye

Farewell, Seattle.

Socially Distant.

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