tough question

Courtesy of my friend D, today's entry comes from When I Grow Up's tough question of the day:

Where do you blossom?

**in the living room (and kitchen and music room and bedrooms and porch and yard) of a big yellow house in the Pioneer Valley
**in the car with the windows open and my favorite music blasting
**with a camera in my hand
**around almost any kid under the age of 10 on the planet
**walking in the city on a sunny day
**in the Irish countryside
**in the presence of good friends
**on a sun- (or rain-) soaked field in July, surrounded by music & friends
**in the ocean

These are the places I feel free to be myself, to say whatever comes to mind, to tilt my head or wrap my arms around my knees or sing out loud. When I'm in these spaces, I feel free to take a risk, jump off a cliff, be creative. They are my "happy places"--on a bad day, or in the face of an ugly confrontation, I close my eyes and picture that warm, safe living room, or the crashing waves of the ocean...and use those images to propel me forward into the next step.

How about you? Where do *you* blossom?

(p.s. This question makes me start to hum Edelweiss!)