Inspire and Be Inspired

It will soon be a year since I have moved from Los Angeles to a quaint small town in Washington. I am blessed in that I have a home with my soon-to-be-hubby, we are both working, I work at a good place with good people, and that life is a lot less hectic. I think I can say I got to experience the four seasons as they ought to be for the first time in my life. There is so much beauty around and it is just easier to take a breath, admire what the new day may bring, and enjoy life.

There are still times when I get the cravings to go to In & Out, order up a double-double protein style burger (less bun, more meat, win win!), and heck since I'm fantasizing, might as well make the fries animal-style. Or perhaps drive up to Pasadena and visit my favorite Japanese restaurant, Kabuki. Sometimes I get the shopping bug and I wish I could drive up to the Santa Anita Westfield mall or the Glendale Galleria, or maybe take a stroll down Old Town Pasadena or The Americana, maybe even Third Street Promenade... now I'm in K-Town in my head.

I think what I miss is the convenience of having choices all around you. Of course, with all the choices and conveniences comes the hectic hassles of a hustle and bustle city lifestyle, which includes scheduling your day around traffic and the mass of people. Just as an example, I commuted to college from home while I was in LA, a drive that should take 35-40 minutes no traffic. If you happen to miss the window of opportunity (aka window of sanity), you may very likely be punished with a ride that could last up to and over an hour (if you start to feel fat, you can work on your buns of steel by squeezing your tooshy tight, holding it for a few seconds, then letting go). On top of all this mess, you need to try to get to school on time, otherwise you will be circling the college parking lots with hundreds of others looking for space to park their cars, like sharks on the prowl. So getting to school or work on time meant getting there at least a hour early many times. My experience isn't a unique one, it's just one like many many others.

So comes the beauty of my new home. If I ever wanted to visit the city, I could make a day trip out to the cities around me (and since they're typically about an hour or two out, it wouldn't be that different than driving  to and from anywhere around LA). Really. What's nice is that I can always come back home and enjoy the peace and quiet.

There is a charm about living where the community is generally closely-knit, where people smile when you walk by them, where the farmer's market is made up of the local people and farms. One of the best things is that I can actually enjoy life. I took the photo above as I drove through Kittitas one evening. The sun was shining brilliantly, even though it was around 6:30pm. The skies were bright blue, crisp and clear. Green lands rolled forward as far as the eye can see. It really is the simple pleasures in life that matters, I don't know, it must be something inherent in us human beings. And in so doing, something sparked the desire for creativity and to create. To share, to learn, to create, and as the cliche goes, to live, love, and laugh.

What are the colors of life, of love, of creation? What are the shades of the spectrum of emotions that we can share? Is the thing bright like the sun shining through a morning dew that's hanging on the tip of a cold crisp leaf? Is it soft and inviting like a comforter throw on the cozy couch by the crackling fire? Is it fun and revitalizing like water spouting out of a fire hydrant, and we dance in it as it quenches the thirst of our throats and that of the hot hot ground? I want to be inspired and I want to inspire.

And that is exactly what I'll endeavor to do.