Homesick (October 2010)

From October 26, 2010

WELCOME TO WASHINGTON.  I am finding myself slowly adjusting to living in Washington State again.  Though I was born and raised almost exclusively in western Washington, I have spent the last half of my adult life in the high plains of the Montana Rockies.  I have grown accustomed to the high-altitude climate of the Rockies, the mountains, and the endlessly clear skies above.

Living at sea level again, I am reminded on a daily basis what I left behind 15 years ago: the overcast skies, the steady rain, the traffic, and the fog.  My kids were so enthralled by their first thick fog here last week that they sat staring out the windows for hours until it was burned off by the noonday sun.  The ocean, Puget Sound, the seagulls, the bone-chilling wind that rushes onshore -- sales tax and people that don't seem to care all that much about each other, are all constant reminders of my return my Washington.

In all fairness, Washington State is beautiful.  I remember telling my dad years ago that I would never want to leave Washington because it had so many different climates.  If you got tired of Puget Sound, you could head to the Pacific Ocean; if you were tired of the ocean, you could head to the desert of eastern Washington; if you were tired of the dry desert, you could head to the rain forests of the Olympic Mountains... this state has it all.

Do I like being back in my native state?  In all honesty, I miss Montana.  I miss the wide open spaces, the clear skies, the grasslands, the mountains, the wildlife, the people and the culture.  One of my favorite things to do here in Washington is to look at the distant Olympic Mountains, or the Cascade Mountains, or the ever-present Mount Baker.  I miss the mountains, but its more than the mountains -- I miss the general quality of life in Montana.  People care about things in Bozeman.  They care about their wilderness, their city, their schools, and their people.

Maybe in a year or so, this place will be home again, but it doesn't feel like home to me yet.  I look around and I see so much of what I chose to leave behind, it is sometimes hard to swallow.

I will forever be appreciative of those who have tried so hard to make me and my family feel welcome here.  It makes all the difference in the world to know that someone cares about you when you are struggling through so many emotions and changes in your life. 

 I will adapt and adjust.  I always have, and I always will.

Missouri Headwaters, Montana