The Power Of Talking To A Stranger

Plus, hydration overhype, being a beverage girl, the myth of normal, and how 'Inside Out 2' nails anxiety.

It was my idea of a perfect day. Sunny, low 20s, no immediate deadlines. I spent the afternoon leisurely exploring Seattle’s Discovery Park. I sat on empty beaches and watched the gentle waves, sparkling in the sunlight, and when I got tired on some steep forest inclines, I refuelled with fresh blackberries from the bushes that lined is trails. With time to spare before dinner, I thrifted at vintage shops and browsed the stacks of bookshops in Ballard. Dinner was the best I’d had on my trip (which is saying a lot since I’d had Michelin-starred tasting menus and snagged some of the hardest reservations to get Portland the week prior). After several Korean-inspired dishes at Revel—like a kimchi pancake drizzled with kimcheese and succulent banana leaf halibut submerged in a bright yellow coconut curry sauce—I stopped at Trader Joe’s before heading back to my hotel. I was returning to Canada soon and I needed to stock up on a few spice blends, or at least this is what I told myself. Real…