Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast, 1870 (Albert Bierstadt)

Hi all,

Well, for those of you who are unaccustomed to me sharing anything of consequence on this blog, hold on to your knickers, because yours truly had an awful day—the first I’ve had in as long as I can remember. Things are kind of topsy-turvy on the homefront right now, and I’m having a hard time grappling with it. But now, thanks to some encouragement from a new friend, I’d like to tell you a little more about it. **Warning** This tale involves plenty of tears, a bit of heartache, and more caffeine than I care to admit.

But wait! Before you write this off as a “woe is Jaye” tale and skip over to read some scintillating smut, would it sweeten the deal if I promised you a little smile at the end? C’mon…throw me a bone here! I’m trying to share, dammit! 😉

So, looking at the title for this post, when you think of “Seattle” what images come to mind? The Space Needle? Grunge? Starbucks? Amazon? Grey’s Anatomy? Well, whatever you think of, I can pretty much guarantee you’re thinking of it cast against a gray, gloomy background. Because Seattle, for a solid eight months every year, is a cloudy, wet, rainy place.

Now, picture for me—if you will—the Seattle day I had…and imagine me crying throughout:

• 5:30am – Walking the dog in the dark. And crying.
• 6:30am – Checking my social media accounts. And crying.
• 7:00am – Showering. And crying.
• 7:30am – Walking to the bus stop in the rain. And crying.
• 7:45am – Catching the bus, finding a seat (awesome!), listening to some Chris Cornell (Seattle boy, RIP). Still crying.
• 8:30am – Jumping off the bus downtown and heading toward work in the rain. And crying.
• 8:45am – Taking a detour to Starbucks (est. Seattle 1971). Crying while surrounded by homeless people.
• 9:15am – Showing up late to work, hiding in bathroom. Can’t stop crying.
• 9:30am – Leaving work because I’m essentially useless. Walking down street while crying.
• 10:00am – Going to Seattle Art Museum to surround myself with pretty things. Not crying quite so much.
• 12:00pm – Joining my husband for lunch at Nordstrom (Seattle-based department store), realizing that nothing is quite as bad as it seems, drinking coffee #2. Crying stops and a few laughs ensue.
• 1:30pm – Indulging in some retail therapy, drinking coffee #3. The crying tries to resurface, but I manage to keep it together.
• 2:00pm – Falling asleep at a coffee shop, embarrassing the living shit out of myself by drooling onto my shoulder. No crying though!
• 3:30pm – Heading home. The crying hath ceased.

Just as today’s gloom gave way to some gorgeous sunbeams, some rays of hope, happiness, and laughter broke through my sadness and despair. Because even as rough as the most Seattle-esque day can be, there’s nothing that can keep me down for long. And though I’m going through a bit of a rough patch right now (and though a *few* more tears may fall), it’s kind of fun to remind myself that I, too, am human…

…and that there might be a few of you out there who could benefit from a glimpse at that humanity.