stop you in your tracks.

22nd November 2014 By Natalie

I have a little friend in Seattle.

She is just the perfect amount of tallness to wrap her entire self around one of my legs for a hug. And when she does, she squeezes nice and tight. Sometimes she even offers a reassuring little pat, pat, pat to my leg.

Just yesterday, this littlest friend and I were walking together in the neighborhood as we often do. As we passed other walkers, many an adult would see her and smile to themselves as they carried on.
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5 things one should do when moving solo to a new city

5th May 2014 By Natalie

1. Be somewhere that has a view

Our eyes and souls crave beauty, they need it to survive. So when you’re suddenly stripped of all your usual coping tactics and comforting friends, your insides will crave this beauty more than ever. When you have such a craving, drop everything and listen.

2. If it’s possible, find old friends who will take you in for a month or two while you sort things out.

(Warning: for this independent types, it can be challenging to receive such generous help like this. But if it’s offered, say yes, it’ll be beautiful.) Its best if these friends are cute and into questionable activities.

3. Buy the book.

So when you move to this new place, you must have come with some visions for what your life would look like once you arrived. You know, the things you wanted to conquer, take on, how you’d spend your time. The interwebs are good and helpful, but when in doubt, go to the used bookstore and purchase yourself the book that will accompany you as you live out your new reality. This book will become your friend.

4. Listen to yourself.

When people heard I was moving to a new place, many wanted to offer the best advice they had. And so I was repeatedly offered this: “just say yes to every opportunity that comes your way—even if you’re tired.” Being just a few months in now, I can now offer back a hesitant: “yes, I agree—mostly.”

When in a new place and context, it’s  good to push yourself into new experiences and situations. Because most of the time, I’m sure you’ll smile and say, “yes, I’m so thankful those moments happened.” But whether you are in a new city or the city of your birth, saying “yes” out of fear is no good reason to say yes at all. Saying “yes” when you can, I’m coming to believe, is a much better life skill to cultivate.

5. Drink alone and don’t be afraid to talk to strangers.

falling from the sky.

14th January 2014 By Natalie

plant your hand,
then your foot.
go.
trust your strength.

i can’t
i’m not that strong — but no one
is telling you that but yourself.

there you are.
dangling high above the ground,
alone.
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