I don't know what it is about being on vacation that makes me instantly relax. I think it's chemical. Something in my brain says "you're on vacation" and triggers relaxation in the rest of my body. I sleep in. I take an hour to get ready. I don't care about anything that is looming in the future.
I can't manage to get more than a couple things done in a day. It's just really impossible. But I have gotten my car started and tomorrow morning I'm going to leave Puyallup. I'm headed to the Canyon, which I am very excited about.
My time in Puyallup has been awesome. I think a part of my heart will always be tied to the Northwest. It's beautiful and relaxing and fun. I'm sitting in this awesome local coffee shop with Sara right now. The coffee is better than anything I've had in months. It's loud and crowded. The workers are friendly and energetic. There's a fireplace and leather couches. They really do coffee right here.
The people in the Northwest are laid-back and nice, although there is a distinct difference from the Midwest. I always have to remind myself of that fact when I'm out here.
The difference is evidenced best in the interaction I had with the AAA tow-truck driver who came to jump my Blazer.
I, of course, was chatting with the man as he worked on my car. The first thing he asked me was if the Blazer was an "East Coast car." I didn't really know what that meant, but I answered that I was from Missouri, assuming correctly that he would consider that the East Coast.
He told me that his grandparents live in KC, so we chatted about that for a minute. I was singing Missouri's praises and he was mainly agreeing, but then he made this statement:
"Yeah, Missouri's pretty nice. The locals won't ever shut up, but other than that..."
That's the difference. People here are loyal. Once they're your friend, they are your friend. There's not a lot of pretense, there's not a lot of pressure. They're just great, laid-back, real friends. But they won't talk to you the first 9ish times you meet them.
When you meet someone in the Midwest, they want to know everything there is to know about you. They want your complete history and they want you to come over to dinner the next night. I don't know what it is, but they are interested. If you're the new person at a dinner party, prepare to be in the spotlight. Not so here. You're going to get ignored a little.
I think it's just a "we don't fake it" thing. People here just don't get too worked up about you one way or the other. But once you've cemented a friendship, it's there. I kind of like it, although I always feel a little insecure that no one's jumping up and down with excitement about getting to know me.
I love it here and I love it in Missouri and I love it in New York. How is it possible to want so many different things at once? I'm not sure I'll ever figure that out.
I have sent in a couple resumes while I've been here and Sara and I have decide we're going to open our own coffee shop in the next 5-10 years, so life plan is in gear!
My time on the road starts tomorrow. Looking forward to jamming in the car for hours on end!
Song of the Day: You are the Best Thing by Ray Lamontagne
2 comments:
Finally! Do you have any idea how often I've been checking this waiting for a new blog? Well, it's been everyday, several times a day. Please continue to update. Thank you!
the AAA man was talking about you.
also, midwesterners want to invite you to dinner b/c they have the love of jesus in their hearts.
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