State of Mind
Key West, for me, is not only the most wonderful place that I have ever lived, but also is a state of mind. The very thought of Key West, when I'm elsewhere, brings contentment to my heart. I am not all that active in the community as a whole, though I worked at a restaurant on mid-Duval Street for many years. I am not an activist. I am a dreamer. I sometimes seem to live in a fantasy world -but it actually is very real. I guess it depends on the tint of my glasses.
There are many who complain about tourists and cruise ships, the homeless population who have taken over the bridal path, the crass commercialism of T-shirt shops, the gays, the straights, the number of bars per square foot, the lack of affordable housing, and so forth and so on. Some of these would seem, on the surface, to be very valid complaints. Some of the critics of the critics respond with "Move somewhere else if it's all that bad!". Though there is a preponderance of problems here, life is still what one makes it. If I had the option of moving somewhere else, perhaps I might - but I don't think so. You see, Key West is home.
Key West has responded to my dreams and being here has allowed those dreams to start to come into reality. I cannot imagine any other place on earth where I can be who and what I am, be working at a job that I have wanted to do for most of my adult life, enjoy being sober, ride a bicycle anywhere I need to get, see a magnificent sunset from my back porch, watch the New Year's Eve fireworks on both sides of the island at the same time, see and hear dozens of different kinds of birds as they wake up at dawn, be able to share my thoughts and hopes and dreams with others who give a damn, walk down the street and say "hi" to dozens of people whom I know at just about any time of the day,- gee whiz!. The list could go on and on forever.
I cannot imagine living the remainder of my days any place else (and hopeful, the remainder of my days are quite a few). When I first visited the Keys in 1963, I knew in my young heart that this was where I wanted to be - forever. It only took me until fortyish to get here and feel as though after many, many years, that I had finally arrived home. There may indeed be many things wrong here, but they can be corrected - at least in my heart. There is nothing so wrong that Key West will not survive - as a dream, a hope, a paradise for my soul.
Love and Peace from Key West and from Chris.
There are many who complain about tourists and cruise ships, the homeless population who have taken over the bridal path, the crass commercialism of T-shirt shops, the gays, the straights, the number of bars per square foot, the lack of affordable housing, and so forth and so on. Some of these would seem, on the surface, to be very valid complaints. Some of the critics of the critics respond with "Move somewhere else if it's all that bad!". Though there is a preponderance of problems here, life is still what one makes it. If I had the option of moving somewhere else, perhaps I might - but I don't think so. You see, Key West is home.
Key West has responded to my dreams and being here has allowed those dreams to start to come into reality. I cannot imagine any other place on earth where I can be who and what I am, be working at a job that I have wanted to do for most of my adult life, enjoy being sober, ride a bicycle anywhere I need to get, see a magnificent sunset from my back porch, watch the New Year's Eve fireworks on both sides of the island at the same time, see and hear dozens of different kinds of birds as they wake up at dawn, be able to share my thoughts and hopes and dreams with others who give a damn, walk down the street and say "hi" to dozens of people whom I know at just about any time of the day,- gee whiz!. The list could go on and on forever.
I cannot imagine living the remainder of my days any place else (and hopeful, the remainder of my days are quite a few). When I first visited the Keys in 1963, I knew in my young heart that this was where I wanted to be - forever. It only took me until fortyish to get here and feel as though after many, many years, that I had finally arrived home. There may indeed be many things wrong here, but they can be corrected - at least in my heart. There is nothing so wrong that Key West will not survive - as a dream, a hope, a paradise for my soul.
Love and Peace from Key West and from Chris.
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