Finding A Place of Solace

Sometimes you just have to get away. The need to "get away" doesn't need to be as dramatic as those Southwest Airlines commercials make it out to be but sometimes it can be just as necessary.

When it comes to writing music, I always like having that place that I can relax, be alone, and concentrate. Most of the time it's the corner of a quiet room or a certain chair that I find especially comfortable. I feel like having a place like this is essential to my creative process because no matter what I have those places that I can always rely on being creative.

At times, those places aren't really enough. So I feel finding a place outside my home, outside of the norm (especially this apartment where I spend way too much of my time) is key. It's a place to be away from the world, if only for a short time to collect my thoughts and really take in my surroundings.

Lately, oddly enough, that place has been my car. There's something relaxing about my car that I can't explain. It's nice to be able to drive somewhere, put it in park, listen to music or just sit in silence and write whatever may come out.

Yesterday in particular, my place of solace wasn't in the car but sitting on a rock wall in a field behind our complex. I hate to reveal my secret because now when no one can find me and it's a nice day, they may very well know where I am but yesterday was nice enough where I really have to share. (And I think most would understand if I'm there I want to be alone.)

This field isn't the nicest place around. It's in a spot where there used to be a house, back before this development existed. You can see the remnants of the driveway, what used to be some landscaping, and obviously, the rock wall where I sat. The view could be better, but not by much. It's marred by some left over construction junk, lots of houses, and a factory in the distance, but overall it's relaxing and beautiful to see the flatness of Kansas but also the surprising hilliness as well.

I sat on that rock wall for a little more than an hour with my Moleskine notebook in my lap. I wasn't sure what I wanted to write, all I knew was that I wanted to put the pen to paper. The light breeze made it difficult at times to hold the pages down and I got a bit of a sunburn but my time up there resulted in almost two full pages of writing. The writing ended up being a list of ideas for posts on this very blog, this post idea was #42.

I'll admit I kind of got carried away while I was up there as well. It was so relaxing to sit in the breeze soaking in the sun that I found myself staring off into the distance for a unknown amount of time. If someone were to walk by they probably would have looked at me kind of funny. But beside that little bit of a sunburn on the back of my neck it worked out ok. I don't think I'd have it any other way.

It's nice to know that that place is there and I look forward to finding more of those places in this great Kansas landscape. I can only hope that it leads to some good inspiration.

Even if you don't write, whatever you do, do you have a place of solace, a place to get away?