in a land of no distraction

And so I find myself away from home again. And though we frequently find ourselves in environments that are predictably generic when we go away, there is something refreshing about it. You can always expect the same tacky art, the same stiff comforters, the same little soaps and the same free stationary; but there is still something fun and new about all of it – Something exciting about being away.

What I enjoy is the ability to sit here and just be with my thoughts; to not have the distractions of my home tugging at me every which way; the familiarity and the ordinary dulling my senses. Being away is like a breath of fresh air: it gives me time to appreciate something different while at the same time giving me the distance to rekindle an appreciation for the home I am away from. Going home is just as fun as going away.

A beautiful thing about the place we are staying these next couple days is that, to a degree, it is disconnected. We have a view of not a bustling city, but a quiet golf course that just seems to go on forever into the distance. Serene. I do not have internet access during the day while Steven is at his conference (he takes his laptop with him). And I am actually appreciating not having the distraction of the internet to take me away from my thoughts; my writing. All I have is pen and paper. It is giving me the opportunity to harvest my creative energy. Something I do not think I do enough, especially since I have not been making art of late.

Why are we here?

Well, Steven often has a conference he needs to attend for his job, and when it spans several days, if our schedule and budget permits, L and I tag along. We tagged along to Vancouver in April because it was an excellent opportunity for L and I to see Canada, for both of us had never been. We tagged along this time because it was only two hours away from home, and the hotel room was already covered for Steven by work. All we had to do was take care of food. And this hotel is great because it has a fridge and a microwave! So this is our little home for the next couple days.

We’re going to lay in the short plush golf-course-grass, play in the pool, and bounce on the beds. It’s going to be a swell time. And then, in the early mornings before Steven leaves, we’ll all cuddle in bed and drink coffee; then, in the evenings when Steven is done, we’ll get all excited about ‘daddy’ coming home to play and enjoy a nice meal together.

I’m going to go try to get creative now and do my self portrait. It is Tuesday after all.