It may seem a surprising thing, even absurd really, when you read that in the thirteen years that I have lived in Seattle I have never been picked at the airport by a friend; until last night, that is. It is funnier, maybe even ironic, that this most auspicious event is hallmarked by maybe an even more auspicious week wherein I decided that my home, for better or for worse, is Seattle. This decision comes on the heels of a rather extensive interviewing with numerous companies in and out of Seattle, including but not limited to NexTag in San Francisco and Google Japan. However, these past three months searching for something I thought I needed I discovered instead I was already in possession of what I need most: a home.
Three months ago, upon experiencing a moment that crystallized my recognition that my well-being, happiness and general state of life are entirely in my control, I began to look outside of Amazon for alternatives both to company and city. As much as the event that precipitated all this is an unfortunate intersections of stressors, nevertheless, in the final analysis I was afforded an introspection of my life in Seattle which, while slow and which has at times shriveled back to bud, has finally taken meaningful root. I came to realize that I, a person who is pathologically shy at self-introductions, has built a small, but deeply committed set of friends; people who regularly call me to see what I am up to and how I am. As small a thing as it is, I have even begun to re-explore my world through art and photography. So much so that a cafe is currently exhibiting some of my photographs. These may not have been the reasons I was so explicit about when I set out from Buffalo back in September of 1998, my then car loaded with hopes to someday return to soil more foreign than the that to which I was born to. However, in these past thirteen years I have lived a bit of a life here in Seattle. It is a life worth continuing and a set of friends worth staying with to cherish and celebrate life with — in Seattle.
And from now on I will have to remember that pickup at the airport is on the ground floor next to baggage claim. Thanks, friend.
You need to just ask. You should really expect your friends to step up and help with rides. It’s a way to share the vacation experience and if done properly (ie not totally last minute) it strengthens friendships.