PNW

We drive along the road and one of us looks at the other and we say, "We live here!", smiling broadly. The other knows...it's kind of like pinching ourselves at the beauty.

If I say "home", it usually is referring to our little town by the beach. I miss my city and I miss my friends more than I can say but the scenery, the beauty and the water is a novelty that I hope never wears off.

I am adapting.

Moments of absolute loneliness are just that...momentary. 

Portland is complex. As much as the nation is divided, I can honestly say that Portland is a amplified stereotype of that division. The liberals are LIBERAL and the conservatives are.....Ultra. For many years now I have considered myself liberal but I shrink in comparison, which is fine. That being said, it is a contentious area. I don't like that part of it but, so far, it is nice to be here.

We've joined PFLAG which is a nationwide organization committed to building bridges between families and allies with the LGBTQ+ communities. Portland's PFLAG community is vibrant and passionate and I am excited to be a part and learning more. Also thrilled to get to know a few more people in town. You can learn more about PFLAG HERE.

Happy Friday!

Comments

  1. JeanieJanuary 7, 2022 at 5:56 AM

    I'm so glad you are happily adjusting to your new city. Portland, I'm told, has so very much to offer and it sounds like you are discovering it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Marie SmithJanuary 7, 2022 at 6:38 AM

    It doesn’t take long to pick up on the vibe in an area and get a sense of the “terrain” so to speak. Reaching out to various groups is how I settled here and found new friends. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Debra She Who SeeksJanuary 7, 2022 at 7:47 AM

    PFLAG is a great and worthy organization! Good for you for getting involved!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2022 at 9:25 AM

    I love how you are adapting to life in Portland. Oregon is such a beautiful place to live. It is so good that you are getting involved with local groups. It's one of the best ways to really start to make a place feel like home.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnnsterwJanuary 7, 2022 at 4:13 PM

    What a great group to join! Awesome that you are getting involved!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Shari BurkeJanuary 8, 2022 at 2:26 AM

    Do they still say, 'Keep Portland weird?' Portland was a wonderful place for me to heal from some stuff and I will always be glad I lived there. Glad you found a place to get involved!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

What do you have to say about that?

Popular posts from this blog

Private Eye

Image
We pass by the house frequently since it sits on a busy thoroughfare. We know to look every time we pass and guess what will we see. Will it be the two Dalmatians, sitting on the couch that backs up to the giant panel window, waiting for their human to come home? Or will it be their human, sitting slightly to the right of middle (allowing for a better view of the giant mounted tv across the room) of the said couch. They are never there at the same time. It’s one or the other. One sleepless night, when my body was willing but my brain was not, I did a little sleuthing. It’s amazing what you can find out about a complete stranger.   His name is Gary and, from what I can tell, he’s never been married. He has worked his way up in a air duct company. He’s now the senior VP but it’s a small company and he still goes out on jobs, judging from  the reviews on Yelp. I know he has two siblings and that their father passed away in 2018. His memorial was held in a Buddhist temple and Gary sr. soun
Read more

Let's Be Perfectly Clear

I would like your input on this letter I am considering sending out. Darryl, I once considered you, if not a friend, a very friendly acquaintance. Our daughters are the same age. I am sure that your daughter is as special to you as mine is to me. McKenna is 21 years old and starting out her life with some tough situations. SHE IS NOT AN OBJECT. She is a person who has her ups and downs, her struggles and triumphs. She has, in the past year, completely alone, had to make scary medical decisions for her mentally ill, addicted father. She has had to watch as the man who was an amazing father slowly turn into a shell of a man who has little to give and much to take. Whether purposefully or accidentally, you have added to her already difficult year. I wonder…would you appreciate my ex-husband leering and making inappropriate comments to your daughter over the course of a long evening? Think about that for a moment!  What were you hoping to achieve with your behavior? Whether
Read more

Go!

Image
 Vai. E, se der medo, vai con medo mesmo. When one is raised in an angry family, it’s not enough to say I don’t want to be angry. You must learn how to do it differently. That’s no easy task. If judgment and self hatred became a way of life, a new way to live has to be taught. There are many ways to do it. Reading, writing, sharing, practicing all help the change. Counseling, psychoanalysis, religion, meditation, gratitude, have the ability to transform but I needed to see it in action, it needed to be more tangible, visual, accessible. I needed to understand the possibilities. There is a YouTube channel that I watch over and over again in order to absorb how to live more fully, more open and from the heart. One of the first episodes that I stumbled on is this…. The channel is Reflections of Life and through it we get to meet people who are doing life a little differently, often more soul based. People who are living life, healing wounds and finding what is truly important.  It can be
Read more