a place to call home

dear seattle,

when i moved here three short years ago i had absolutely no idea what path lay ahead. i had finished out a difficult year at purdue + knew that my heart was being called to the northwest, but it was scary. i knew very few people here + going into the move i had no clue how i would possibly meet people close to my age; let me tell you the seattle freeze is real.

the ashenbrenners graciously allowed me to live with them + made this entire journey more financially feasible. i am so grateful for their continuous friendship + guidance over the last decade, but especially in these last few years.

austin + erika had introduced me to my boss, steph, who stepped out and took a chance on me. so there i was nineteen years old working at a small, private preschool and not going to college. finding  my own rhythm + independence was difficult, but soon enough i settled into a job that i adore + met some of my dearest friends, many of them under 10 + over 30.

your music scene offered me space to foster a  community that was solely my own. i saw a lot of shows solo, met many of my favorite artists, heard new ones that I may have never heard otherwise + even made friends with some (hi leah!!)

in the last five months, i have watched you- the initial epicenter of the virus in the US- band together + figure out what life in a pandemic looks like. 

then, as the fight for racial justice came to a head at the beginning of the summer, i watched seattleites show up for their siblings of color. you brought light to the everyday reality of police brutality + systemic racism, and now here you are 85 days later still. showing.up.

the ways in which this place has shaped +molded the person i am were completely unexpected, but one of the most important things i’ve learned is how to love myself better; to take care of myself in a way that allows me to show up for others better wherever i am, in seattle or elsewhere. 

while i may have moved back to kansas for now, that does not erase the love i have for this place. dear seattle, you are forever marked on my heart + will always be a place to call home.

xo,

t