How to Seattle
How are we feeling, Seattle? It seems like the warm days of summer are but a distant memory — and that might be affecting our mood. In this area, where the sun sets as early as 4 p.m. during the winter, residents can suffer from seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression caused by reduced daylight.
Luckily for us, brighter days are ahead — literally. Seattle will finally have sunsets after 5 p.m. starting this week. But there are also other ways to find joy in your everyday life — and in community, to boot. Here are a few.
Romance on the rink
Many of us might lean into a cozy night in by bingeing a TV show — and nothing has drawn a more viral following lately than “Heated Rivalry,” Canadian platform Crave’s gay hockey romance adaptation, streaming in the U.S. on HBO Max.
Local Seattle venues acted quickly to fill fans’ need for ways to collectively fawn over the yearning, angst-filled love story between two fictional professional hockey players. Neumos is hosting “Heated Rivalry”-themed raves Thursday and Friday, while Club 90s is holding a “Heated Rivalry” night Feb. 21 at The Showbox. And Southgate Roller Rink dedicated the theme of one of its recent weekly Pride Skates to the show.
The day of the “Heated Rivalry” skate at Southgate, the line to get in stretched out the door and almost to the street. Many patrons wore “Hollanov” hockey jerseys — a combination of the two main characters’ names — and one person wore a “Welcome to the cottage” shirt, referencing a popular scene from the show.
Emily O’Mahony, who lives on Capitol Hill and stood in line with her wife and a friend, heard about the skate as the news quickly spread among their social circles.
“For me, in the beginning, I was like, what are they all talking about? Why is everyone talking about this hockey show?” O’Mahony said. “Then I watched it. I like being a part of something bigger than myself, seeing something that everyone else is watching. It’s heartwarming. I like gay media when they’re yearning, and coming out is always very heartwarming. It’s nice to see that it’s mainstream.”
Erin Rhoads, who has owned Southgate for the past 14 years and was in the disc jockey booth the night of the skate, saw the buzz around the show and decided it would make a perfect theme for the night. “We thought, what a fun theme, especially when it’s on skates. We are on wheels, they’re on blades, but thought it’d be a really fun thing.”
“It’s been a positive thing that’s going on right now, when I think we all need some positivity,” Rhoads added. “ We all need to laugh, we need to cry, we need to feel connected.”
Inside, hundreds of people popped on skates and took a turn around the rink as a projector showed scenes from the show on the back wall. Music pounded through speakers and colorful lights reflected off a central disco ball. Members of the Seattle Torrent’s merch team were also on-site, selling jerseys, stickers and more gear. Each time an emcee called to the crowd over the speakers, a collective cheer went up from a group brought together by their obsession over a hockey love story.
“There’s something that’s so freeing about just being on roller skates,” Rhoads said. “Skating to music, you really have a chance to give yourself a break and just be in the moment. And I think being present is so important these days.”
For information on future themed skate nights, visit southgaterollerrink.com or @southgaterollerrink on Instagram.
Not your typical yoga class
For other Seattleites, nothing brings more joy than a pint-size, furry companion. Resilient Hearts Animal Sanctuary in Fremont puts an adorable spin on yoga classes: Anywhere from eight to 10 puppies join students for a session of (slightly chaotic) movement. The sanctuary coordinates the puppies’ placement in foster homes, and bringing them to the Fremont location for classes — led by professional yoga instructors — helps the puppies expend their energy and socialize with each other.
“It’s very beginner friendly, and it’s kind of ‘choose your own adventure,’ ” said Kira Morin, programs and events coordinator at Resilient Hearts. “If you choose to sit on a mat and hold a puppy the entire time, we love it. … Sometimes the puppies crawl on to you while you’re laying down or in funny positions and decide that you are now their bed.”
The sanctuary holds several puppy yoga classes a month, based on when it can get enough puppies together at one time. Despite only announcing classes a few days ahead of time, Morin said the 15 spots per class usually fill up within 24 hours of being posted. Classes operate on a pay-what-you-can model, with a suggested donation of $35, which will help cover the facility’s rent.
Morin stressed the pay-what-you-can model is a way for the sanctuary to demonstrate its core value of serving its community and remaining accessible. Now having hosted successful classes for several years, the sanctuary has helped solidify its place as a supportive hub for both pets and people.
“There’s this relationship that kind of develops by giving to our community that we love to honor. Things are hard and stressful (for the community). Puppies bring so much joy and love, and that is the reason why people get into rescue work — you love animals, and you love the service and the joy that the animals bring into human lives.”
For more information about Resilient Hearts Animal Sanctuary and upcoming puppy yoga classes, visit resilientheartsanimalsanctuary.org.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yakimaherald.com ’
