Two Weeks In - Bellingham Update

Two weeks I've been in Bellingham. I've stayed busy, seen as much as possible. I've begun to feel a little more comfortable. Do I love it yet? No. However...

I do love the trees here. Tall, silent watchers, guardians of the land. Each one covered in an intricate pattern of green moss and spiderwebs, the two battling for their spots like dancers on a palace floor.

I do love the Saturday market. The bustle of vendors and visitors combine to create an invigorating aroma of joy and community.

I do love the bookstores. There's the well known Barnes & Noble, the local staple Village Books and the delightful used bookshops Eclipse and Hendersons.

I do love all the parks, lakes, ponds and footpaths I've happened upon to date. All have a beauty of their own, that blends into the overall splendor of this area of Washington.

I do love the wild blackberries. The way the sunlight flickers like memories along the ground. How the sunrise gives way to a sky that looks like soft, gray pillows of cashmere.

And I do love that, without warning, I'm hit with a sound, sight or smell that makes me feel - for a second - like I'm in Alaska or Maine or Norway. That's amazing.

I may not yet love Bellingham butI love enough of it's parts to stay awhile.

Last week I accepted an employment offer and I Monday is my first day. Finding a place to live that is simultaneously affordable and pet friendly has proven tricky, so I've made an arrangement with my AirBnB host to stay through December. The monthly cost is more than I can afford long term but I have enough to manage until the end of the year, and I prefer to do this versus jumping into a situation that I don't feel comfortable with. I feel safe here, Faelina is safe here, the house is quiet and I have a stunning view. Plus, I can actually walk to work (a first for me), thereby saving me some money on gas.

It is my hope that things will only fly upward from there. That I'll enjoy my new job and coworkers, that December will bring me into an new home, that friendships will form and new hikes will continue to awe. They might not and I'm still experiencing fears and nerves about that, deep enough to rattle my core. On top of that anxiety though is excitement, and a path that is leading me back to the person I want to be. I feel more like myself than I have in a very long time. It's a good way to be.

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