I’m sitting outside enjoying the sun as I write this. It’s not all that warm, but the sun feels good and I’m tired of being in the house. I’m already planning projects for the spring and summer—a few of which will never happen and a couple others will change dramatically from my first idea. That’s the very nature of the creative process.
I left West Virginia in early 1998 and lived away for nearly 14 years before I moved back about a year ago. I have a greater appreciation for my home now because of that time away. Not that I think everything is perfect here, but I see potential or beauty that I overlooked before. I was always hurrying someplace or trying to accomplish something else and didn’t take the time to just “be” and appreciate my surroundings. A lot of us live that way and it takes an effort to slow down.
One thing I missed while I was away was the river. I lived a few minutes away from the Pacific Ocean for a while and spent a lot of time visiting the Atlantic and Caribbean, but there is just something about that river that I find fascinating. I love the way it moves, reflecting lights in an ever-changing pattern. Rivers in West Virginia have been as been as important to the development of the state as any of the other natural resources.