Home is where the rain is

I’m from Seattle. 

As the years pass by, this phrase has more and more clout for me.

There is constantly construction going on downtown. More and more transplants arrive in droves to work at Amazon, or the next up and coming start-up. There are just fewer and fewer Seattleites in Seattle. It’s a known fact.

I was born in Seattle. I was raised in Seattle. I attended Seattle Public Schools. Even for college, I didn’t go far. I went to UW. I also currently work for an organization that has “Seattle” in its name … but this is just coincidental. I’m not selecting my place of employment based on its name!

I’m the person who gets annoyed when I hear people say they are from Seattle but really they are from Shoreline, Lynnwood or even Tacoma! This is equivalent to New Yorkers hating it when folks from New Jersey say they are from New York.

I can’t say I love the grey, because I don’t. But, living here for more than 30 years has taught me to love the rain.

Today I walked along Alki in West Seattle and was (again) reminded how special it is here. We have water. We have mountains. And, yeah, we have rain and traffic and roads with potholes that don’t get fixed … but, this city is a special place.

Bryce and I spotted a seal bopping its head up and down along the beach as we walked. We also saw a dolphin (or two?!) out in the distance. It’s no surprise to see wildlife other than seagulls in Puget Sound, but you still get that kid-on-Christmas-day-feeling deep inside when you do.

We were the only ones to spot these friends as other walkers and runners just went on by.

Yes, it was raining. But, it was still magical.