Portland is a brooding town. The dark skies and rain make it that way. Portland feels like a natural fit for me. Weird is the norm, black is the color, and coffee and tea stops are on every block. As I trudge along (dressed in black from head to toe with just a spot of color in my scarf), earphone plugging my ears, messenger bag strapped over my body, hand in my pockets, looking ahead into some distant place; I am in the city groove without even trying. I love that "trendy" here is vintage, reuse and recycle. Fashion "style" is whatever it is that a person is wearing. No one cares. No one is looking and evaluating. This is a city that is not about how much you make or where you work, but rather how interesting you might be to talk to, what you are reading and how much you care about your environment. Hiking and biking are huge pastimes. Art is everywhere. Local theater is affordable. Most thing here are affordable. It reminds me of Denver, with Denver getting the edge because of the near perfect weather.
As I was walking today, it started me thinking about how people are always trying to find a place to fit in whether it be a town, a religion, a group of friends, or a job. The irony is that once a person finds themselves, they realize that they fit in wherever they are without even have to try.You find your true zen when you no longer care to play the role that others expect of you and follow your own path, make your own choices and be the person you want to be, not what other people see you as. In order to do this, it helps to remove the labels that your and others place on you. Labels don't define us, they in fact, limit us. We are limitless in every sense of the word, like the stars, the drops of water in the ocean and maybe the rain in Portland.
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| Stumptown coffee |
