Posing with the Views from the South Tower Observation Deck, World Trade Center, NYC

It’s December 2024. I moved to New York City about 3 weeks ago. I had been itching for the right moment to leave Seattle for about half of the total time I had lived there (8 years total, 4 years thinking about where is next and a few false starts). Well the activation energy was reached when I turned thirty and I met my partner who is just as enthusiastic about relocating as I am. We both have found jobs that we are thrilled about where we will be challenged intensely. I am a nurse. He is a chef. I am waiting for some background checks and paperwork to clear before I get to start at a busy emergency department.

I am not prone to experiencing boredom. Occasionally there is loneliness and I’m well acquainted with my own flavor of persistent dread. Coping for Sharrin means increased activity rather than incapacitation. Putting this website together is one of several projects for this moment. It’s a privilege to be on a work sabbatical and I am deeply grateful for it. It’ll also feel really good to get back into some scrubs.

The photo features young Sharrin on trip to New York City around age 6. Things I remember about visiting the World Trade Center are a crowded and dizzying elevator where I nearly got separated from my mother (though I wasn’t afraid) and reading a sign that said “welcome to the top of the world.”