Day 4

We've been having these crazy rain storms here in Hot Springs the past few days. Anyone who has lived in the South knows that these are part of life down here, but they're still amazing to me. Being born and raised in Seattle has instilled a love of the rain in me, and these storms make my new locale feel that much more like home.

It took me a while to think of this as home. I've lived here for eight months, and up until a few weeks ago, I thought of it as a rest stop on my road of life. It wasn't a starting point or a destination, just a place I happened to be staying until I could move on with my life. I'm not sure what changed, but it's all of a sudden felt like home.

Maybe it's the way that the neighbors, especially Debbie, have accepted me as a part of their lives. Maybe it's that the neighborhood dogs follow me home whenever I go out. Maybe it's finally having a real bed after sleeping on an air mattress since I got here. Maybe it was the realization that I'm not all that different from the people down here.

More than anything else today, I am grateful that Hot Springs feels like home.

Also, I am grateful for:

• the mix tape that Steven Davis made me before I left Seattle. It's been on constant repeat lately.
• the view from my bedroom window.
• sunscreen. My pale skin is not made for the Southern sun.
• my real bed.
• being able to sleep in this morning. Since it was raining, Sophie's morning walk got postponed until later, and I didn't have to get up at 6:45am.