Walking the tightrope in Seattle: don't look down

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.          - Helen Keller

We've been back in Seattle for just over a month now and I'm so thankful for the progress made building our life bird by bird. My job sorted, an adorable mother-in-law apartment (with a garden!) to move into August 1, a beautiful Victorian place to housesit in the meantime, generous friends making sure we settle in well – things really are going well. But, every once in a while, it hits me how much is still up in the air. I remember that I'm still living out of a suitcase in a friend's flat. That I have a to-do list that makes Mt.Rainier feel like a hill. That so much still has to fall into place. Not having everything in place is an exercise in letting go of control, an exercise I've done many times but still need help with.

The other night as I started thinking about how far we had to go, I got this image in my mind of us walking a tightrope much farther above the ground than I'd ever choose to. And I got this sense that the only way to walk/ slide/ crawl across these canyons of insecurity is to not look down. To actively not focus on how high up we are and how far we have left to go.

So now, as the massive settle-in-Seattle task list ever so gradually shrinks, I don't want to focus on everything that remains, but straight ahead. To where we'll be a year, five years, ten years from now. Seattle wasn't built in a day.

So here's me looking forward, being thankful for what I've got. I'm thankful for my new job, my health, my friends and family, my wonderful husband, a place to stay in an awesome part of the city, the sun finally coming out for the summer, Herkimer coffee (!), Capitol Hill, Greenwood and Ballard, my future Scandinavian neighborhood.

I've mentioned my blog relaunch and the letter to my 16-year-old self, and I'm working on these, so know they're coming. But I also need to be realistic about everything I've got on my plate right now, so things may take a bit longer than I'd like.

In the meantime, I hope you're enjoying your summers (or winters for you Southern Hemispherites!). Today marks one week until my 30th birthday so I'll be living it up to bring closure to this fine decade that's been my 20s. What are you up to this week?

{Photo of a sterling silver tightrope walker pendant from MarKhed's etsy shop!}