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| The view of Puget Sound from my window! :) |
20 years ago I was petrified with fear when I had to go out alone on the streets of New York City. My best friend and I went to New York City together, she had lived there before and was comfortable going anywhere. But I was from a small rural town in Michigan. She got sick and didn't want to eat...for a long time. I skipped a couple meals because I was terrified to go out on my own. Finally, because hunger forced me, I braved the Big Apple on my own. Ok I really only walked a block to a deli and got a sandwich and a calzone. But I didn't get mugged or lost. YEAH! That was the beginning of my journey to seeing big cities as more than what I had heard on the news.
Now after having enjoyed visiting cities like Chicago, New York, and San Francisco and living in downtown Philadelphia for 2 years, I have come to view big cities in a whole new way. The paralyzing fear has been replaced by excitement. Excitement to expose my kids and myself to all sorts of new cultural, artistic, and metropolitan experiences. Even walking home from the grocery store was a memorable experience today. A flash rainstorm appeared and drenched us. With no car to shelter us, we ran from eaves to eaves laughing all the way...and learning our view of Seattle better include an umbrella!
Kathy
Loved reading about how you've grown to enjoy city life. I had a somewhat similar experience in Hamburg, Germany when I was there on an assignment - which included a stay through a weekend, during which there was no hotel staff. Although they left enough good foods in the refregerator for my colleague and me, eating the same thing for every meal got boring. So we decided to venture out. I felt a little scared at first, particularly because I don't speak German, but everything turned out fine. I learned that fear is my own creation and often irrational.
ReplyDeleteReiko- Thanks! :) So true that fear is our own personal creation.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you're exploring and experiencing new things. We can miss so much if we let our worries overtake us.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you've settled in in your new home. I may have said this in your last post but I've never lived anywhere but Leicester UK and can't imagine what it must be like to learn about somewhere new. You're very brave!
ReplyDeleteIf you turned about 45 degrees to the right you could probably see the house on Queen Anne Hill where I grew up, assuming there isn't another high rise in the way.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm here from the Pay It Forward blogfest and I just wanted to say thanks so much for signing up!
What an amazing view! Have fun exploring! Mom
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