Preludes

So I’m moving to Seattle. Many of you already know this. When I first decided take this new step and start this journey, my life was rather different from what it is now—at least in terms of what I’d be leaving behind. The decision was made in late August, after a painful experience in which I lost (for a time) a dear friend and walked through some hard-core rejection and betrayal on several levels. I knew I’d miss my dearest friend Sara and the DC area contingency of my family, but apart from them, I didn’t really feel I had much to miss. Not that I didn’t have other friends, but really, everything else seemed very much leavable, especially for six months. I’ve felt more and more that the NOVA area is not really my scene. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been really happy there and I’ve managed to find great people who aren’t really a part of the general culture and atmosphere of the area. But really…the insanity, the over-scheduling, the striving, the trophy-based existence…not my scene. So I decided it was time to try something else—someWHERE else—for a while.

Seattle worked for me on many levels. I’ve visited the area on several occasions and love it. It’s funky and laid back. My sister Elizabeth and brother (in-law) Joseph (with whom I am very close) and my (almost) two-year-old nephew Caleb live there were the ones who invited me to move out there to live with them. There are Starbucks stores aplenty, so work wouldn’t be a problem. Plus, it’s about as far away as you can get from the DC area. Which, in August, worked greatly in Seattle’s favor.

I find it interesting—how much can happen in six months, how much things can change, how much broken things can be made whole, how indifference transforms into inextricable care, how restlessness can be tamed in a few well-placed lasting moments. In August, leaving would’ve involved a little dusting off of shoes, a shrug, and a sigh of relief. Now, in January, leaving has involved an awful lot of bittersweet, of tears, of aching, and a little clinging to the dust of what I leave behind. Still, I am excited about this new path I’m following. I am hopeful about what these next six months will bring about in my life. I’m ready. Bring it on, Lord. Let’s stretch these life muscles a bit.