reflect Archives - Sip of Sunlight

welcome home

November 18, 2022 4 Comments

On a summery Saturday night, a month after moving to the east coast, it felt like someone, somewhere, flipped a switch and suddenly my life turned from black and white to technicolor. Sitting on a bar stool at Rosemary’s East just steps from my apartment, I was struck by a feeling I hadn’t felt so distinctly in months – a feeling that extends beyond joy and gratitude – a feeling that I had finally arrived home. Not just back to a physical place I had dearly missed in the years I lived away, but a feeling that the life I imagined and the life I was actually living had finally collided. Turning toward Colleen, I felt a […]

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when life gives you mountains, put on your boots and hike

May 17, 2019 No Comments

We walked along, our footsteps falling into a rhythm, the only audible sounds being the crunch of an occasional pinecone and our shoes kicking up the soft dirt with each step. The sun was warm and strong for so early in the season, beating down on us as we meandered our way along the shore of Lake Chelan. With images of gooey cinnamon buns swirling around in our minds, we kept walking – right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. As we walked along, I thought back to last fall, when I hiked up to Cascade Pass in the pouring rain with my dad. The weather that day could not have been more opposite than this […]

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the space between

April 25, 2019 No Comments

The sun was warm on my skin, the air smelled like honeysuckle, and Denali was pressed up against my leg chewing on a stick she found. Sitting on the damp grass in the backyard of my childhood home, I realized that I could not remember the last time I simply sat in stillness – without distraction, without worrying about where I had to be, and without thinking about something I should be doing instead. If I was back in New Jersey just a couple weeks earlier, I might have been peeking at my phone while scratching behind Denali’s ear – missing the chance to sit in peace and soak up the sunshine, the fresh air, and the […]

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I flow, but am I rooted?

February 13, 2019 4 Comments

I still tell people I just moved to Seattle even though it’s been close to seven months since I left Texas and nearly three years since I lived on the East Coast. Whether I’m in an airport, on a chairlift, or in a taxi, the question is usually the same so, where are you from? I usually stutter, not sure how best to answer. I know I should just say Seattle to keep things simple. I grew up in New Jersey, then I lived in Houston for a little while, now I live in Seattle. My friends tease me – just say Seattle! Does less than a year in a city warrant that type of a response? […]

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welcoming change with a big hug

September 17, 2018 No Comments

When I first found out I had the opportunity to move to Seattle, my heart skipped a beat. I’m a firm believer that my initial reaction, that feeling in my gut, is a tried-and-true indicator of whether something is a good idea or a bad idea. I did not give myself time to be scared or overthink it before I said that one magical and powerful word – yes. “Whenever we think we know the future, even for a second, it changes. Sometimes the future changes quickly and completely, and we’re left only with the choice of what to do next. We can choose to be afraid of it, to stand there trembling, not moving, assuming the […]