Living on Writer's Block

As another Daily Writing Prompt has asked me today, “If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?”

We have to remove several factors first. First, the factor of where I hope my children will go to school. The school I’ve gone to for the past thirteen years of my life is wonderful, and I wouldn’t want my kids to miss any of it. Second, the factor of family. All of my family lives in the same town I do and so to move would be an enormous wrench. Third, the factor of friends. I have a long-distance friend across the country and I have one a state away, but not in the same place I want to move to; all my other friends live in this town with me. We’re a very tight-knit community and I don’t generally make other friends easily. Fourth, the factor of work. My job is very much an in-person one and if I moved I would have to do the job search all over again, and quite frankly that’s a very daunting task and I really don’t like the idea of going through it — ever.

But with those four factors out of the question — if my whole community, my friends and family and school, were transplanted to the one place I love to go most, it would be the Oregon coast.

If I could fall asleep at night to the sounds of the waves; if I could stand where the salt sea flavors my lips and the wind whips my hair; if I could live where the storms are wild and sea-scented and beautifully, vastly terrifying; then, there I would choose to be.

The coast is where I first learned to love the rumble of the surf, the salt of the sea spray, the biting of the winds, the thrill of danger as I stood against waves washing to my hips and threatening to drag my feet from under me.

On our last trip, we went to one beach in particular where the waves were higher than we’d ever seen them. In particular places, the water covered the entire beach, up to the rock walls that backed the sand. My sister and I went to try and cross the wash that covered the sand, but before we got even halfway across, a wave came rushing up, washing over the sand and sweeping us back, bubbles hissing against us. My sister wasn’t that eager to cross so she ran back to the dry sand, while I stood in the surf, facing the sea. I knew it was foolish to cross this, where I did not know how hard the wash could get, and that if I wasn’t careful I might end up stuck on the opposite side. So I stood, in the same place, laughing when the waves washed higher than expected, soaking my rolled-up jeans halfway up my thighs. (That was a cold, sandy ride home.)

The coast is where I want to spend all my best moments, even if I can’t live there. If I could do my wedding there, I would. if I could do my honeymoon there, I probably would. (I probably will, it’s not too expensive — I just hope he’s alright with it.) If it weren’t for my family being buried where I am now, I would be buried at the coast where the wind and waves would be forever nearby.

All that to say… If I could live anywhere I wanted, I could choose the Oregon Coast.