2002-07-24 - 8:12 p.m. i'm sowing seeds... My last day in Seattle was all about rest, relaxation, and filling my belly with bliss. The Four Seasons Hotel was again my breakfast stop... Northwestern eggs benedict (with smoked salmon and a spicy, rich, orange sauce) happily filled my belly well over its capacity. My mid-day was spent at a day spa, receiving a glorious massage and exfoliation treatment. What more could a girl want? Oh yeah -- a hot shower and a nap (both of which were on my agenda). ;-) The main event (no surprise) was dinner: nouvelle soul food at Kingfish Cafe. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven... the interior had a good old Ole Madrid in San Diego feel to it, with wrought iron gates across the doorway, black painted ceiling, and much light streaming in through the windows. We chose the table closest to the window to best enjoy the glorious heat of the sun. After sharing a plate of amazing, spicy, peel-and-eat shrimp, the serious eating began, accompanied by a lovely bottle of Caymus Conundrum with just the right refreshing chill to offset the sweat forming on our brows from the sunshine. My 3 huge pieces of fried chicken were accompanied by spicy collard greens and one of the best potato salads I've ever tasted. It's a good thing the portion was so huge or else I might have been a selfish, evil dinner companion and not shared any of it with my fellow diners. My companions had the spicy catfish and the awesome knife-and-fork ribs. It's so lovely to get to try a good portion of the menu when going someplace new and tasty...Despite bellies that were protruding from this excessive level of eating, we managed to consume one of their huge strawberry shortcakes. In especially poor form/manners, I actually said "Oh...my...GOD!" out loud after biting into the luscious strawberry shortcake. I can't recall the last time my dinner left me hollerin' at the table. Sigh. So lovely. I got my wish to return to Golden Gardens in the daylight to get a better glimpse of the mountains and trees. I took advantage of the warmth and took off my shoes so I could squish the sand between my toes as we skipped stones and watched the sun set... My final Seattle site-seeing was a quick visit to the Fremont troll. I truly love the fact that this troll is menacing a little VW bug, much like the one that used the schlep me to and fro...heh heh. Poor little VW. This was as close to perfect as a vacation could be for me at this time and place. I was able to relax, spend time in my head thinking about the things that matter to me and where I want to go with my life and what things I want to do...and I had a good spot of food...wine...etc. Getting to wear all the little girlie dresses that make me happy was the icing on my perfect cake. I met my personal set of objectives of what makes a good vacation. Trouble is, I'm not ready to come back. I don't wanna go home. I want to sign up for this full time. This clearly means I need to get moving on the freelance PR, marketing, Web and writing gigs I've not followed up on in the past year. I want more control over my time, energy, and cash flow. In an economy in which every day brings about a new scandal and a new freak out in the investing public, I want to be more closely in control of my personal finances and destiny. Working for cash or barter when that better suits my objectives (i.e. when doing work for wineries) seems most compelling these days. I'm no longer in a hurry for change, as I was before I came here. Instead, I see a path I'm on, with multiple opportunities to pursue. None of these opportunities will vanish if I don't act on them immediately; They will, however, vanish if I continue to *not act* in general. What this means from a practical perspective is I plan to continue to jealously guard my free time. I will still make time for friends, and try to keep up with work, but I also have to make time to relax, spend time with myself, and pursue freelance projects that bring me closer to my goal of working fulltime for myself. As I sit here in the airport, waiting for my plane to land so we can board, I am happier than I've been in a long time. I am free. I am loved, and I love. A life's worth of opportunities stretches out before me. I feel so blessed. All that said, in many ways I am sad to leave this glorious place. I don't want to lose this feeling of joy. It's sort of a letdown to return to the City and the same old routine. But it's only a letdown if I choose for it to be so...and I *don't* choose that path. I choose the path of new adventures full of new places and new faces... any comments? (2 so far) previous - next recently on almostgoldsf... in defense of an email box I came to do battle with SPAM - 2008-05-17 hello 2006 - 2005-12-31 Happy Thanksgiving - 2005-11-14 bon voyage - 2005-11-05 October already? - 2005-10-09