Why Crave Peace?

We all crave peace, don't we?
Many if not most seek solitude to create their works whether it is stories or visual art. But for me to craft a great story I need to be drenched in the chaos of life. 

My good friend, one who understands the need for me to write, he's a photo and paint artist, tries continually to hook me up with the perfect peaceful place to write. 

I have failed to make him understand my need to be surrounded by cacophonous life. For instance, I enjoy the atmosphere at Starbucks more than my easy chair in the quiet of my home. Although, Starbucks is not my first choice if I want good coffee, Duh! But it does fill the need I have for a variety of noise, nuisances and availability. The Starbucks Store I most often haunt, sitting hunched in the corner tapping my keys, has the extra bonus of being next door to a residential motel — meaning it comes with a great assortment of hookers, pimps and thieves. Add in a dash of homeless folks that occasionally bathe in the restroom and you have quite an interesting stew.

I am here writing this blog. McKinley Park Sacramento with my son asleep in my lap.

Starbucks ubiquitous presence makes any of their nine million locations an easy decision. 

Yet, I must give a shout-out to the best coffee in the world and the coolest environment, Old Soul Coffee Co. Sacramento, CA. 

Read Coffee magazine and you'll find that Sacramento has the best coffee in the nation. 

Back to why I'm writing this piece. If I was cloistered away in a severe little cell high in some rugged mountains or stranded on a desert island with my laptop and a very long extension cord, I'd get very little done. And, what I would manage to pen would be very aesthetic, self-focused and likely psychotic. 

As I write this, I'm on a park bench with my little boy asleep in my lap, and rather than stick my thumb in my navel and  take in the scene, I'm writing to you. 

Peace,

M