Life is a Highway

Every once in a while, I stop and think about how truly fabulous my life actually is. There really can’t be anything better than being a 20-something living in Seattle.

On Tuesday, my sister Erin and I saw West Side Story at the Fifth Avenue Theatre. I have been a HUGE fan of West Side Story ever since I first saw it as a little kid. The classic story of Romeo and Juliet, but spiced up and modernized into a feud between two street gangs in the slums of 1950s New York City. It has won 10 Academy Awards and two Tony Awards, and is one of the all-time great American musicals, so I’m super excited I can now say I’ve seen it on stage.

The musical was everything I dreamed it would be, although I was a bit confused. Maybe the stage version is a little racier than the motion picture, or maybe as a little kid things just went over my head. Regardless, there were several things in the play that shocked me. For example, I do not remember the racism toward the Puerto Rican immigrants being so blatant, or the love scene in the bedroom so suggestive. I also do not remember one of the women being gang raped in a drug store – all I remember is her being bullied and pushed around. Were some artistic freedoms taken for the stage version, or was I just that naïve as a child? I need to rent the movie again soon for a comparison.

Last night, I was invited to head out on Lake Washington on my friends Tara and Winston’s boat. The weather was 77 and sunny when I left work, and I couldn’t think of a single thing I would rather do with my time. Being out on the water was fantastic, and a couple of the girls were even brave enough to go swimming! I, however, stayed safely in the boat with my beer. As the sun went down we went back to Tara and Winston’s apartment for a while to hang out before heading home.

Recently, Jeanna and I have decided that we are stuck in a rut… we dine at the same five restaurants over and over again, when there are literally hundreds of options in the downtown Seattle core. So we agreed that from now on every payday we will branch out and try a new restaurant. So those are my plans for this evening – a fantastic faux date my roommate. Tomorrow, a night out on the town.

Seriously… all of these things happened in a matter of three consecutive weekdays – could I live anywhere less entertaining? In Seattle, you can see a play, go out in a boat, and then dine in a fabulous restaurant any night of the week. I seriously take my life for granted. I should take a moment each day to remind myself how lucky I am to be young, single and fabulous, and living in one of the greatest cities in the country.