Out of the Woods

 7/16/21 Happy Birthday to my mom, Beth. 

I'm in Asheville, NC, not Marshall as originally planned. I'd had a gut feeling about Marshall. Arrived to find a gravel driveway that was basically large rocks, which is a no for the Miata. I tried and heard the terrible sound of scraping on the undercarriage of the car. The host was so apologetic, she'd been out of town when the gravel was done, had no idea it was so LARGE. I always ask the hosts if the driveways/roads will be ok for my car. 

In the spirit of not wanting to waste my money, I went inside and tried to make it work. The schlep from my car to the place with my stuff was not great, as not only is it hard to drive on these rocks, walking was no picnic either. I started to get that feeling in my gut, a heaviness, which I've learned from past experience I cannot ignore. The place itself was fine, but I think I needed to get out out of the woods for a while. I'd stayed 8 days in Mars Hill, enjoying the nature and isolation, it was time for a change of scenery.  I grabbed my things, booked the Kimpton in Asheville, and immediately felt 100% good. There's a LOT to be said about trusting your gut, even if it's not about being in any kind of danger. There's also a lot to be said about being kind to people - instead of getting bitchy about the issue with the driveway, I sent a text to the host later apologizing, saying it wasn't going to work with my car and telling her I understood that I wasn't entitled to a refund. She gave me a partial refund anyway, really nice. 

I'm sitting on the chaise in the room, looking out the window at the court house, the little park, the gorgeous Black Lives Matter painted on the road. I'm watching some guy try to ride a unicycle, amazed that he can do it for more than a minute. I can see the place where the Confederate Zebulon Baird Vance monument was taken down. I feel really happy at the moment. I've finished the mimosas a few hours ago, so I can't blame it on the alcohol. I'm listening to my playlist, currently playing is Devotcha "We're Leaving". Still isolated up here but I can see people and that seems to be enough for me at the moment.