San Diego

This past week I went down to San Diego to visit my best friend, Debra. It was kind of a last minute trip. My dad had purchased a non-refundable ticket and ended up not needing it. I asked if I could just use it instead and so I ended up with a free flight to San Diego. Not bad when it was going to be raining in Seattle the whole week. The only catch was that I had to fly into LAX. In my mind, that was alright.

All in all, the trip was a blast. I really enjoyed having my best girlfriend around for the four or five days. We watched the Charger game, went out for a late birthday dinner and sat on the couch at her house, watching movies and catching up. I miss that when I am in Seattle.


Anyway, I didn't want to write about what an amazing time I had on this trip. Debra and I can hold onto those memories ourselves. What I did want to write about though was the revelation that I had while down there. This will probably seem strange to many of you and maybe a bit obvious to most of you.

I have lived in Seattle for over 10 years. I have weathered through 10 long, gloomy winters here. I have come to accept that in fall, you start buckling down and preparing for the winter ahead. You take advantage of every last ounce of sunshine you get, even if it means that your fingers are going to freeze off or you will be blown away by the crisp fall winds. You start bring out the down blankets and the couch throws. You turn on the lights in the middle of the day and you try to accomplish everything you can before four when the sun sets. You also dread daylight savings. Falling back means that dark sets in at three, not four. You dread that you won't see the sun until April and you prepare yourself and your significant other for the inevitable seasonal depression that is going to set in. You start creating contingency plans, strategizing when to take your next vacation (only to sunny locations) so that it will get you through the winter. Have I gotten my point across yet? Either way, the point is that living in Seattle you get used to and anticipate the effects of a long, sunless winter.

Traveling down to San Diego this past week made me remember that the long, depressing winter was not always part of my life and I won't have to be part of my life if I didn't want it to be.

Don't get me wrong, I love living here. There is no place on earth like Seattle in the summer. And I will not be moving anytime soon but I just forgot that the weather/winter isn't like this everywhere (this is the statement that should just be obvious).

If you live in Seattle, I think you will understand my point and appreciate that, for me, this was a revelation. :) Maybe someday, I will relocate to a place that has a few more sunny days than Seattle. But for now, it is just nice remembering that I am choosing to live here and that if I want to I can choose not to live here.