I Hit a Woman with Her Own Wheelchair and Other Updates from Juneau

You know that song called Picture? Where Sheryl Crow belts out “And I ain’t seen the sunshine in three damn days!” ? Well try three damn months.

It’s been a little over three months since I moved to Juneau. I’ve seen the sun… maybe eight times? Which feels personal. My body still hasn’t fully adapted to the clouds, but when the sun does come out, I react like a vampire seeing daylight for the first time. My eyes just... can’t process it.

I’m finally starting to feel like I have a handle on my job. Not that I know what I’m doing all the time—I still say “I’m not sure” at least four times per shift—but I don’t feel like a chicken running around with my head cut off anymore. Now I’m just a chicken with slightly more direction.

That said… I did hit a woman with her own wheelchair while trying to help her into a helicopter. So. I will be replaying that moment until the end of time. She was less than enthused (naturally) and I was.. Well panicked. Don’t worry though. My therapist has been informed. 

Work is chaotic and hilarious and exhausting in a way that actually feels kind of good. Some tourists are absolute monsters, sure. But a lot of them are sweet, and the ridiculous things they say? Honestly, it keeps me entertained. 

It feels really beautiful to be a part of once and a lifetime experiences people are having. They are beyond excited when they arrive and ecstatic when they return from an excursion. For many this is a bucket list item they’re crossing off and it feels good to be a part of that. Although… Juneau doesn’t have the easiest climate for helicopter excursions… so weather cancelling an entire room of people is not fun. 

One of my best friends came to visit, and it was the best. The weather really showed up for him. The sun was sunning! We hiked, saw ORCAS (!!), and witnessed something called bubble-net feeding which was basically whales doing synchronized swimming (nature is wild). We got impulsive tattoos (sorry Momma). We bar crawled downtown Juneau. It was lovely and I miss them already. 

And somehow, I’ve made friends here. People I can text to hang out with, who know me by name, who I run into out and about. It’s wild. I use my Google Maps less. I have a go-to brewery (shoutout Devils Club) where I write.

Oh, and I own a pair of XtraTufs. So I guess I live here.

And the thing is… even though parts of this move were hard, and weird, and a little lonely at first… I really think this is the happiest I’ve been in a while.

People keep asking me what’s next. And the truth is: I don’t know.
I have ideas. I have moments where I panic and try to map out my entire future. And then I have days where I want to just keep driving and see where I end up.

But for right now, I’m here. I’m standing in the rain, in my XtraTufs, watching helicopters take off, and I’m laughing with people I didn’t know three months ago.

And that feels like enough.

Even if my bank account would very much like to have a word with me.

xo :)