Dear Alaska, What with all the farewelling, packing, cat-tranquilizing, flying, driving, and decompressing, going on the past few days, I hope youll forgive me for not saying goodbye until now. The first time I saw you was on a windy, rainy, January morning in Juneau. Maybe you were having a bad day, or perhaps it was just that sometimes youre not so good with the whole first impression thing, but have to say I wasnt all that smitten. Boy, did you make up for it. You showed me colors in the sky that must be seen to be believed. Landscapes sculpted by ice and fire. Temperatures that swung through one hundred and fifty degrees of range in less than six months. Denali, wearing a golden halo at midnight. Secretive creatures, normally found in the deepest of forest, wandering around in daylight, less than a football field away from some of the heaviest traffic in Anchorage. The mournful eye of a humpback whale that watched me, the length of my kayak paddle away, as I glided through Glacier Bay. Most of all, you attracted wonderful people, who became teachers, students, employers, coworkers, friends, and family. The love of my life was here--you made it possible for us to meet, and realize that we were meant to share our futures together. Its not you--its me. Ive changed; the roller coastering thermometer isnt quite so much fun any more. There are other changes, too, but, suffice it to say, its time to try someplace different. Thank you for these wonderful years and for the memories that Ill treasure for the rest of my life.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 19:31:25 +0000