Less Than Forever Away (Prompt #11)

Forever Away

My friend and I are in the middle of a race to see who can get to Seattle, Washington first.  She says she'll win, but I beg to differ.  I don't know what her reasons are for wanting to go there so badly, but I sure know mine.  This is not a dream that I will sacrifice, even though it seems to be forever away.


The Chick Flick Scene

Not my most prominent reason for wanting to go, but a reason nonetheless, can be traced back to many chick flicks.  I've watched several perfect couples fall in love in Seattle, and I always imagined myself testing this out for myself.  Let's take "Sleepless In Seattle" for example.  This is a great movie with an equally great plot, and how does it end?  Happily ever after, naturally.  And all in Seattle.  As flawed as my logic may be, I've always dreamed that my happily ever after exists in my imaginary Seattle, if only I could get there to claim it.  With my limited 18-year-old's funds, any destination, even this one, seems forever away.


Rain, Rain, Go Away?

I am constantly annoyed by song artists' tendencies to relate bad experiences with "rainy days."  If something goes wrong it may be "a rainy ending to a perfect day," as Taylor Swift says.  As a child, one of the most appalling things I ever heard was the children's song that goes "Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day."  Never in my life have I seen any reason to wish away one of the most beautiful things in the world.  A good rain storm is healthy for the body and soul. It contains in its simplicity the power to serenade the ears, please the nose, mesmerize the eyes, captivate the mind, even freshen the air we breathe.  While most claim to become depressed when the sun never shines, I would be more content if I never saw its blinding, headache inducing rays again and could forever live under a blanket of silver-lined clouds.  Here in Arizona, just a few states south of my ideal destination, I am so close, but still forever away.


Sunburned Artist

Let me expound a bit on what I mean by giving the power of "captivating the mind" to this inanimate, seemingly insignificant natural event.  Even most of those who are depressed by rainy days can admit that they find some amount of peace in the occasional drizzle of rain.  I could watch it for hours.  As it washes the dirt out of the sky it seems to purge every problem from my brain, drawing my full attention into a new world behind each rain drop.  I don't claim to know how the simple patter of the tiny drops and the occasional crash of thunder somehow manage to open such worlds, all I know is that it happens. Creativity is alive in these hidden worlds, alive and flowing like the rivers of water that flood down the rain gutters.  I can hardly imagine the types of thoughtful and powerful lyrics I could dream up if this setting of tranquil creativity was open to me so frequently as it is to those in Seattle where rain is no stranger.  Here, in this place--in a gazebo in a remote field somewhere in Seattle--I would be able to arrange words naturally, as clearly as placing my actual soul on the paper.  For the stories I write, I could supply them with deeper characters than ever before, if only I had the focus available to me that this quiet water from heaven would allow.  Stuck here, in my sunburned state, I just keep telling myself that this dream is less than forever away.