Today … April 7, 2013 11:48 pm
There is something oddly comforting about sitting in a laundromat waiting for your clothes to dry. Yesterday I found myself sitting in such a place waiting for my faux feather bed to tumble its way out of the commercial-sized dryer … and as I sat there, flipping through my magazine, I realized I was perfectly and absolutely content.
Perhaps it was the familiar sounds … children giggling, moms chatting, the machines humming away. Or maybe it’s just that I love the smell of fresh laundry or fabric softener. Whatever – I found it sweetly soothing and in it I found comfort.
Today I emptied twenty bags of mulch onto my garden beds. I need another ten to finish the job but the garden is looking happier. I planted pansies. I raked the yard. I cleaned the flower beds. I painted a plant stand. And though weary with fatigue … I found comfort in doing it all.
This past week/end I was up in WA … as in Seattle and surrounding areas. It was fabulous to spend time with Ted. What can I say? I like my kids! And while out there, more than once, I found myself surrounded by water as we crisscrossed our way across the Puget Sound and various channels of the NW waters. And in that, too, I found comfort. And it wasn’t just because we saw two whale spouts … I have thought, for a long time, that I must be part mermaid. I am a water baby. And though I’ve spent my entire life away from water (it’s not like Illinois or Colorado are exactly coastal) it’s water I crave. Along with trees and mountains. Not such a tall order … if one is in Washington.
In any case, I was on my search (again) for that elusive Utopia. That place I know is out there – somewhere – just waiting for me to find it. That place where mountains and trees and water blend together. Where orchards and wineries and farmers markets and u-pick berry farms are ever-present. Where people are friendly and intelligent, where flowers and vegetation grow with wild abandon, where energy is high. Where there are hills and rain and wildlife and four seasons (but with mild winters). Where my soul feels like it’s home.
I find it funny that I’ve come full circle in my thoughts … that life has led me back to where I started. It also possibly reinforces that I’m a slow learner … but I find it comforting that I know what I want (it has just taken me a while to realize I knew what I wanted a long time ago). The NW has been on my radar for 35 years.
Five some years ago when my thoughts of moving and beginning this search were in the formulation stage – the first town to come to mind was Gig Harbor (WA). I’d never been there but it had a certain something that whispered to me – a little something that stirred my soul. It has been on the back of my mind ever since. And yet – I dismissed it – for whatever reasons – and didn’t listen to that whisper all these years and looked elsewhere. And, after visiting ten other states and hundreds of other towns over the years, last week I visited that town … and it quite possibly may be where I end up.
But I don’t know yet. Not for sure. And that’s okay. There are places (near Seattle and on the islands) that I need to re-visit … places yet to see that I couldn’t fit into my trip this time around … places to consider before I say that I’ve found IT. So, while I might not have my next home town pinned down yet … I do know I will end up up there. In the NW … in western Washington … as I need the mountains. I need the trees. I need the energy. I need the water!
And even though nothing is settled or truly decided … I am at peace knowing that it’s up there and that I’ll be on my way after a bit. I finally feel like I’m going home.
And in that … I find comfort.