Travel — September 13 Writing Prompt
Citizen of the World
In a world this varied, how do you choose one “favorite city”?
Sun, Sand, and Speed
I feel the need for speed…
I’ve often joked that I come by my “lead foot” naturally, having been born across the street from the Daytona International Speedway. The first time I drove a car, I stood on my dad’s lap and steered us down the beach. The first time I owned a car, I made sure it had undercoating so that I could drive it on that same beach without the salt and sand damaging it. When I need a “beach fix,” Daytona Beach is the first place that comes to mind. It is flat, clean, and stretches for miles. It extends out into the Atlantic Ocean, making the water warm and the swells gentle, for the most part. It’s a great place to go parasailing. There are several excellent colleges and universities nearby, and it has a decent public transportation system. It’s a very seasonal, “touristy” town, so while it may be nearly deserted in February, it can be a little challenging to get around during spring break or motorcycle week.
Walking the Past
It’s hard to choose a favorite among the cities I have visited that are steeped in the richness of history, but Istanbul, Cairo, and Paris vie for a spot, here. I want to immerse myself in history; it feels anachronistic, sometimes, to dress in modern clothing and comfortable shoes.
Walking in Nature
Impossible to choose! As my husband recently said, “I’m starting to realize that if the government chose to designate a place a ‘national park,’ there’s a good reason for it.” We have such stunning, wild places left in the world, and I am thankful that they are protected so that we can see them and marvel over them. Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills, Crazy Horse, Wind Cave, and The Badlands are just a few we’ve visited in the past few years. Lassen is also marvelous — until I went to Yellowstone, I didn’t think we had any better geothermal areas in the continental US. And Haleakala, on Maui — it’s a little embarrassing and sad to think how moving it is to stand at the peak before sunrise, to look into the night sky, and to break down sobbing, awestruck, to realize that all the stars really are still out there.
It isn’t just air pollution we ought to worry about, but light and noise pollution, as well. Our children should have a right to see the stars with their own eyes, and to hear the sounds of nature with their own ears. Nothing humans have created — no laser lights or symphonies or rock concerts — comes close to the sights and sounds of nature.
So Many Sights Yet to See
The minute I think I have a “favorite,” I find a new one. I stopped ranking places years ago. I just want to see them all. This is what I dreamed of doing in retirement. Imagine how disappointing it was, at first, to retire as the pandemic moved into full-blown lockdown! But once vaccines became available and the world began to open up again, we were ready. And we’re not done yet.
This is Day #13 of the 30-Day Writing Challenge by Nancy Blackman for Refresh the Soul. Previous days’ posts:
- A Tiny Note from the Universe
- These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
- A Most Meaningful Year
- When It Rains, It Pours
- One Deadline that Doesn’t Drive Me
- This is Beauty
- There Are Worse Things I Could Do
- Life’s Little Soundtrack
- What’s in a Name?
- If Money Were No Object
- Tears of a Mother
Holly Jahangiri is the author of Trockle ; A Puppy, Not a Guppy; and A New Leaf for Lyle. She draws inspiration from her family, from her own childhood adventures (some of which only happened in her overactive imagination), and from readers both young and young at heart. Visit her website at jahangiri.us and subscribe to her newsletter at https://hollyjahangiri.substack.com/
