Sun from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. That's what I love about summer in the Pacific Northwest. Tourists flock from all over the globe to cram Pike Place Market. The smell of sunscreen and salt and freshly cut grass floats out into the city. A sense of adventure spreads among Seattleites, who finally put those hiking shoes to good use on trips out to the surrounding mountains and woodlands.

Whatever exists of the much maligned "Seattle Freeze" melts away during the summer months, as if the problem is a citywide vitamin D deficiency instead of a ubiquitously accepted sour temperament.

I arrived here in August of 2017. Smoke covered the sky that week. Seattle had just been declared the most expensive city to live in. The sun, a heavy-lidded red eye, judged my poor, homeless, jobless ass through the thick haze.

My partner at the time and I crashed at my aunt's place until we could get ourselves figured out. After a few weeks sweating at a deli in the Market, I made my way to Eastlake and the shipping industry.

My first real Seattle summer came after a long, cold, exhausting Seattle winter, and I've never taken the sun for granted since.

"The mountains are out!"

That's how my coworker announced the death of winter in June of 2018.

She got up from behind the counter, ran outside, and pointed. "See?"

The wall of gray, which had been there that morning, had disappeared. In its place, a crystal- clear blue sky and, yes — pristine and white, still glistening with the last snowfall, there stood a mountain. She didn't notice, but I nearly cried.

My Californian sensibilities are not accustomed to this climate. They probably never will be, just as I will probably never find a burrito as good as back home. What the hell is Taco Time, anyway?

So how do I ensure that I get the sun I need to thrive and power through until next year?

I walk. Everywhere.

You see a different part of the city in the slow lane. Admiring rose gardens, encountering other pedestrians, petting dogs. That's the life.

Of course, there also used to be summer parties and backyard barbecues to look forward to before 2020, but nothing beats taking your time and soaking up the sun, even when things open back up later this year.

If you're new to town, here's my advice: Get outside while it's nice.

Simple enough, but you'll be surprised how quickly those long days run out.

If you've been here longer, though, I'd like to suggest getting a sun lamp. Born-and-raised Seattleites often deny that they get more irritable in winter, adopting an "it is what it is" mentality about the seasonal depression they've always known. If this sounds like you, get a sun lamp. I can't swear by it enough.

Enjoy the weather now, of course, but for god's sake, prepare for the rest of the time. Your life will improve, I promise.