I had a few major goals in mind when I knew I was officially going to be flying up to Seattle to be with my family for Christmas: eat a lot of seafood, and fill up my tiny pocket journal with Seattle inspired writing. Luckily, I achieved both of those things and I still can't figure out which experience was more satisfying.
But since this is a writing blog I guess I'll talk about the writing part.
The first day we were in Seattle we spent it just relaxing at my parents' place in Bellevue. The house is absolutely gorgeous, it's surrounded by the classic huge Washington pine trees that were being pushed around by a seemingly never-ending wind.
That may not be everybody's definition of beautiful weather but it's an atmosphere that I absolutely adore. The first morning I got my coffee and grabbed my journal, sitting by myself in the living room before anybody else was really up and around. Like I mentioned in another recent blog post, I really need to be able to feel it out before I start just jotting down poetry, and I felt that in spades. I just sat and wrote two or three of the best poems I think I've written so far. The feeling I had sitting in that chair, with the presence of the people I love, was a feeling of complete serenity. It was unlike anything I had ever really felt at home. Home had responsibilities, home had a dog to look after, home had work, and school, and a house that just feels the need to break down when I'm already at my lowest moments.
Seattle didn't have any of that, and on top of that it's a beautiful place, whether you're downtown or just walking around a more local park, or up in the mountains by the ski resorts, it's undeniably beautiful.
I'll be the first to admit bias, I was born in Seattle, I mostly grew up in the Pacific northwest, and I'll always be a nearly-Canadian yankee hipster at heart no matter where I go, but I think anybody could see just how incredible the sights can be up in Washington State.
However, the point I want to convey through this is not just that Seattle is amazing, (which it is, also go Seahawks) I want to just encourage you to get out of your house and gain some perspective. Of course travelling across the country or even to another country is a great option, but sometimes it doesn't even need to be that extreme of a trip to get the creativity flowing. Take a walk somewhere you've never been, find a park that you haven't explored yet, find one of those neighboring suburbs or small towns that nobody really lives in and look around. Find a diner, get some coffee, and enjoy yourself. Recharge, refresh, and get your head ready for all of the crazy, beautiful nonsense that's about to spill out of it onto your awaiting pages.
Thanks for reading, I hope that all made sense, have a great day! Go see the world!
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