Returning to Arizona to visit my family is always a mixed bag of emotions. Living in Washington State in a small river town there is an abundance of surreal natural beauty. An over population of rich greens & fairytale waterfalls provides a much needed sense of calm. In revisiting where I did a lot of growing up, I do not have such a connection. It is empty to me, as if my creativity was stripped away.
The dense populous lends itself to someone other than me. I have grown to feel embraced by my current surroundings which in turn unselfishly shares it's innate source of imagination and comfort.
The views at sunset are consistently awesome but I crave the misty rain and foggy blanket the pacific northwest possesses. I feel cocooned, ready to create after awakening into the crisp mornings.
The in-your-face mega consumerism coupled with the need to drive everywhere you have to go is so foreign. The more time I spend still, the more I come to the realization of what I like and can do without. Spending time creating of my own mind brings a wholeness like no other.
The family is what makes these trips possible. If it weren't for both of my parents living in Arizona I don't think I'd ever go back. I would much rather have my friends/family visit me here where I can share my fascinating discoveries of a life so different. Living in a small river town is an art of it's own, a dying lifestyle protected in my little bubble of the world.
