Here Comes The Sun.

I write to you from my bedroom.

The hour is just past 9:30pm and outside, the sun remains high in the sky.

Birds chirp through my open window, and temperatures still sit comfortably content at sixty-six degrees.

The thought of sleep is far, far away.

Summer in Alaska has arrived.

One of the most glorious times of the year is summer here in Alaska.

Although our bodies sometimes struggle to adjust to the mere five hour window of “darkness” (which is more like dusk anyway), and we dine later in the day (usually around 9pm), we look forward to this time of year and the opportunities it brings.

Gardening, fishing, hunting, hiking, and biking are just a few of the activities that keep most Alaskans happy and what draw tourists from all over the world to this wild and remote land.

My favorite part of summer?

The sunshine.

After months and months (and months) of darkness and cold, we are blessed with this incredible amount of sunshine that lingers on the horizon until near midnight and then barely dips down before popping up again at four in the morning.

Its warmth is contagious. There’s something about sunlight, and especially after so many months without it, that cure all winter blues (or any current blues). I instantly feel happier, prone to little acts of kindness (like buying a stranger a cup of coffee-iced, of course), and my mood is lifted as high as the sky. My shorts and tanks come out of their winter hibernation, and I often spend hours outside reading aloud to whomever will listen. Likely my cat or the birds.

Like the Beatles sing it best:

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun, and I say

It’s alright…

Fry-Day With Friends.

It was just last Thursday that my sister, my best friend, and I were sitting in The Little Mermaid Café in Homer, eating fries. They were deliciously seasoned and we were just inhaling them, when all of a sudden, I said: It would have been better if we were eating these tomorrow.

Both my sister and Caroline ask: why?

Because, I said, tomorrow is fry-day.

If you have friends who can take your puns and still appreciate you as a normal human being, then you've got yourself some keepers.

I was reading the other day, and I came across a very inspiring section of the book that touched on the importance of female relationships. It began with the history of the term "lesbian", which was actually popularized in the 1920's to describe single women who had close bonds with each other (having nothing to do with sexual feelings).

Of course, throughout time, psychoanalysts discouraged social unions between women, fearing the disruption of the natural path of normal development and marriage. They were afraid of a revolution of single women!

Oh the power of being a single female.

With all of this in mind, I've decided to take a different approach to my impending move.

For awhile, when I've looked into where I've wanted to move, I've looked at cost of living, commute time, and type of job, which are all still very relevant, but I've also realized that a big influence on my personal growth, success, and happiness are the types of friends I have surrounding me.

I've lived in a big city before and felt loneliness and truly, there is immaculate power in having a solid group of friends close to you, rooting you on. 

It took a bad pun and a splendid day spent with my fellow cat-loving, homeschooled, feminist friend and my wise sister for me to figure that out, but better late than never!

So I thank you, friends of mine. For reminding me of the power of friendship and for putting up with my awkward-at-times puns. You have to admit though, they do give you a chuckle. That's just who I am! Bad puns are how eye-roll...