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New Beginnings
Nov. 6th, 2022 06:12 pmIt has been literally two decades since I last had a blog.
I've recently relocated to central Texas from the PNW. For the last decade I'd been bouncing back and forth from the suburbs of Seattle to the suburbs of Portland. It didn't need to be that way, I could have chosen to live and work in the same general area, but it took an experimental medical procedure being mandated for me to pull my head out of my ass and reassess how I was living my life.
Life is complex and humans are emotional beings. Addressing and reconciling emotional baggage is part and parcel of personal development. I decided to put my family first.
A move was absolutely necessary. I felt chased out of Washington and Oregon by the changing political and legal landscape. In the late 90s, as a teenager, I felt safe walking in downtown Seattle in the middle of night. Over the last 4 years I've developed a fear of going anywhere in Portland or Seattle. Laws are not enforced in Multnomah or King counties and the things you can see driving around are crazy.
In the 90s growing up in Seattle I remember seeing a few used hypodermic needles at Gasworks Park or watching the junkies in Victor Steinbrueck Park and thinking that was the price of living in the city. Just before covid I remember driving I-5 under Freeway Park and watching the denizens of the Jungle looking for the semi-truck that would end their suffering. Before I left Portland at the beginning of this year I saw open air chop shops next to the freeway and bridges who hadn't seen a lick of maintenance since years before the pandemic. These two great cities are dying and while their suburbs are faring better they're not as safe as they were.
I had never been to Texas, but I have known many Texans. I've heard from them that Texas is a great place to be from. Almost all of them had come to the PNW for money and many had lamented that if they could make more in Texas they wouldn't have left. Another string in their stories was family, usually siblings, who returned once they had kids. Everything I learned about Texas seemed to suggest it was the best of relatively few options.
Before the mandates were attempted I would joke to my husband as he complained about the latest egregious thing, "Want to move to Texas?" When those dropped my first knee jerk reaction was to flee to Alaska, but upon examination that wasn't a good option. Likewise many of the mountain west states I considered where also ruled out for lack of important resources. As I went down the list it became apparent to me Texas was our best option if we were to leave the PNW.
It took a year to actualize that decision. Now we're here at the beginning of our new life as a regular family.
I've recently relocated to central Texas from the PNW. For the last decade I'd been bouncing back and forth from the suburbs of Seattle to the suburbs of Portland. It didn't need to be that way, I could have chosen to live and work in the same general area, but it took an experimental medical procedure being mandated for me to pull my head out of my ass and reassess how I was living my life.
Life is complex and humans are emotional beings. Addressing and reconciling emotional baggage is part and parcel of personal development. I decided to put my family first.
A move was absolutely necessary. I felt chased out of Washington and Oregon by the changing political and legal landscape. In the late 90s, as a teenager, I felt safe walking in downtown Seattle in the middle of night. Over the last 4 years I've developed a fear of going anywhere in Portland or Seattle. Laws are not enforced in Multnomah or King counties and the things you can see driving around are crazy.
In the 90s growing up in Seattle I remember seeing a few used hypodermic needles at Gasworks Park or watching the junkies in Victor Steinbrueck Park and thinking that was the price of living in the city. Just before covid I remember driving I-5 under Freeway Park and watching the denizens of the Jungle looking for the semi-truck that would end their suffering. Before I left Portland at the beginning of this year I saw open air chop shops next to the freeway and bridges who hadn't seen a lick of maintenance since years before the pandemic. These two great cities are dying and while their suburbs are faring better they're not as safe as they were.
I had never been to Texas, but I have known many Texans. I've heard from them that Texas is a great place to be from. Almost all of them had come to the PNW for money and many had lamented that if they could make more in Texas they wouldn't have left. Another string in their stories was family, usually siblings, who returned once they had kids. Everything I learned about Texas seemed to suggest it was the best of relatively few options.
Before the mandates were attempted I would joke to my husband as he complained about the latest egregious thing, "Want to move to Texas?" When those dropped my first knee jerk reaction was to flee to Alaska, but upon examination that wasn't a good option. Likewise many of the mountain west states I considered where also ruled out for lack of important resources. As I went down the list it became apparent to me Texas was our best option if we were to leave the PNW.
It took a year to actualize that decision. Now we're here at the beginning of our new life as a regular family.
