city girl...

Do you know that I don’t think I have ever owned a proper pair of hiking boots?  I have never really camped out.  I can’t recall having ever fished legitimately.  I have always thrived in the pulse of a city.  I love subways.  I love skyscrapers.  I like cabins and not tents.  I am a city girl.  I didn’t like to think myself opposed to nature, yet once again I have proven myself ignorant in the scope of self awareness. 

A few years ago my parents sold the home that I grew up in and they ventured to something bigger and in the country.  Personally, I found it strange that they bought a larger home and in a place that I considered very far away from the life they had built ‘in town.’  Turns out they were hoping for the peace and quiet and simple life that you can find in country towns.  They looked forward to the wide open spaces, even if they had to spend more time mowing the lawn.  In reality, that’s what they have on their hands these days…time.  So why not enjoy it in a place that has cleaner air and less traffic?

I guess I accepted my parent’s move out to the country simply because I saw the smiles on their faces.  They were peaceful and happy and living a life for themselves and not for their children any longer.  And that is a comfort to someone who is living their own life for themselves and not for their parents.  Yet, it was with apprehension that I returned to my parent’s home just over six months ago.  With no idea of my next step, I settled into life in the country. 

It didn’t take long for me to crave the pace of the city, though.  I began packing my bags and arranging to stay at friend’s homes for a few days at a time.  I loved being around my parents but the solitude, quiet, and peacefulness of it left me feeling uneasy and bored.  Within just over six weeks I accepted a job and a new adventure on the other side of the country. 

With the pep back in my step I happily headed out to Seattle to give it another try on another boat.  This one was headed to Alaska!  A place that I never thought I would visit…and yet I didn’t know why.  Five months I spent preparing for Alaska while sitting at dock in Seattle.  Five months of imagining what it’s going to be like to go to Alaska.  Five months of exploring Seattle, a city that I fell in love with in spite of the grey skies and rain. 

At the end of those months I was left with many great memories.  I felt a new side of the city girl emerging and I was anxious to test my limits a little more up in ‘The Last Frontier’.  I came to realize that I was lacking something that may be necessary for the road ahead; until one Saturday afternoon inside of the Ballard Goodwill store. 

In the fashion of a city girl I bought my first pair of hiking boots.  They are bright yellow and black, which sums up the busy bee personality that has been used to describe me at times.  If they had actually been worn it was impossible to tell.  The treads looked brand new.  And the price couldn’t be beat…$4.99. 

In the six weeks that I’ve been in Alaska I have barely worn anything else.  These boots have helped me walk straight into a new part of myself.  This city girl has transformed!!

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