Solace

This week has been tumultuous for me.  Dealing with morning sickness all day, a three course-load term, my two-year-old, work, church responsibilities, and a dinner party this week have had me absolutely out of my mind.  Friday night spent doing homework is not what I've been looking forward to all week.  But, here I sit tonight reading the excerpt from the first chapter of Gretel Ehrlich's The Solace of Open Places, and this is the most relaxed I've been all week.

Ehrlich does a fantastic job of making me feel and understand what it is like to live Wyoming.  I can see it, and hear it, and feel it's culture.  I know how it's changed the author, and just by reading the essay, I'm convinced that living in Wyoming would change me too.  This piece is definitely seen through the "I."  I really like that about it.  We get good facts about Wyoming, and those are important to know to be able to understand actually what the state is like.  But their main purpose in this piece, in my opinion is to give context to the sights, sounds, and feelings that Wyoming gives.

I'm a sucker for place essays.  Every one I read has me putting a new city, state, or country on my bucket list of places to visit.  So, reading this essay has again set the bar high for me.  I have to admit, however, this essay was a bit different for me.  I've never read this short of a piece on an entire state and been able to get a true idea of what it is like.  This is giving more to think about, as I've not chosen my place/location to write about.  But now I'm a little more aware that whatever place I choose does not have to be predictable.

Aside from the bearing on my writing this piece may have, The Solace of Open Places has again reminded me the power of literature and writing.  I hope that I can take that with me as I draft my place/travel essay this week.