California State of Mind... Use Your Words November 2014

Today’s post is the November 2014 Use Your Words Writing Challenge. This is how it works: participating bloggers submitted 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a blog post. All words/phrases must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

My words are: 

native ~ winding ~ creek ~ bridge ~ spirit ~ clarity

They were submitted by: http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/  (Confessions of a part-time working mom)  <Thank you, T, for such fabulous words!>

I am not a native of California. Sometimes, despite my New England and Southern roots, I feel like I was made to live here. I really do love it here. I am grateful I found my way here. For most of my life, I was a loyal East Coaster, and my heart was in New York City and Boston. I often said you would never catch me living in California. Now, I am here, and I love it. 

I love the weather and the people and the landscape. It is actually gorgeous here. It is not all traffic and beaches and palm trees, like I had imagined for most of my life. There are hills and mountains and grassy fields and rivers and farms. It really offers the best of all worlds. You may even be able to stumble on a creek or two, when we are not in drought conditions. 

Droughts are probably my biggest complaint. Yet, at the same time, my joints are a bit thankful for the lack of rainy days. I am quite fond of warm, sunny weather, and that is bountiful here. Along with plenty of things to do and see. It is really this amazing melting pot. 

You can enjoy the beach and the mountains and a grassy field and a big city, all in one day. Where I live, much to my delight, it does not snow. If ever I wanted to torture myself with snow exposure, I could do so in no time at all. Lake Tahoe and Yosemite are both short drives from where I live. What's better, is the fact that the trips to these places are beautiful. The drive to Tahoe is especially beautiful. You travel up into the mountains, on a winding road, and the views are spectacular. 

San Francisco is close to me as well. There is so much to do there. You can dine on foods from around the world, visit Alcatraz, cross the Golden Gate Bridge, explore small shops, and just lose yourself in the beauty that is the community of San Francisco. It is definitely a fun place. I have only been there three times, and I look forward to many future trips. 

I am a bit of a free spirit, so I am a bit shocked that I was able to stay in one place for so long. I tend to like to travel and move. I am a definite Nomad. I like to explore and have a change of scenery. I tend to get Cabin Fever quite easily. I guess, for the right person, even a gypsy nomadic free spirit can settle down. No complaints here. 

One of my favorite things to do, when I am feeling a touch of Cabin Fever, is travel down the back country roads, windows down, radio blasting, wind in my hair. It brings clarity back to my mind and peace in my soul. It is especially awesome on warm Summer nights. It is something I could not do back in New York or Connecticut. It is one of the many things about California I am grateful for. 

I am not sure why these words turned me into a spokeswoman for California, but this is what they inspired within me. When I first read them, I thought about my heritage and my childhood. I thought briefly about Thanksgiving. Once I sat down to write for you, California came to mind.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! Now, do yourself a huge favor, and visit all the other blogs featuring a Use Your Words post. See what words they received, and how they were inspired by them. 

Anyone celebrating Thanksgiving soon, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. In honor of that, I would love to hear something you are thankful for. I am thankful so many people and things. I am currently very thankful for modern medicine. I am thankful also, that it improves every single day. 

http://www.BakingInATornado.com                                    Baking In A Tornado

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/                              Spatulas on Parade

http://stacysewsandschools.blogspot.com/                     Stacy Sews and Schools

http://followmehome.shellybean.com                                   Follow me home  

http://batteredhope.blogspot.com                                          Battered Hope

http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com                              Someone Else’s Genius

http://eileensperpetuallybusy.wordpress.com                 Eileen’s Perpetually Busy 

http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/                    Confessions of a part-time working mom

http://www.eviljoyspeaks.wordpress.com                               Evil Joy Speaks

http://www.crumpetsandbollocks.com                            Crumpets and Bollocks 

http://sparklyjenn.blogspot.com/                                     Sparkly Poetic Weirdo