I Want A Balcony, Please.

Or a patio on the upper floor, if you will.  There have been many times in my life where sitting on the balcony has given me a sense of peace, thoughtfulness or just plain joy.  Sounds weird maybe, let me give you some examples.

For years, we traveled to Colorado every year.  The years we didn't camp on our land, I preferred the little, not so new hotel because it had a balcony.  In the down time, I would fix myself a cup of hot chocolate at night or coffee in the early am and grab a blankie.  I would wrap myself up in the blankie because the pre-dawn or dusk of the evening was chilly.  I would cup my hands around the warm drink and sit and look out at the mountains.  Silently reveling in the place that I was blessed to be.  I could sit there for hours, and have. 

When I was unfortunate enough to be considering my divorce, back in Texas amid the chaos, I couldn't think, couldn't sort things out in my mind.  I needed to get away.  I had to go to Colorado, to my run down little hotel, with its balcony.  My mom went with me, with full instructions and assured compliance of no unsolicited opinions or encouraging one way or another.  She was great, she knew what I needed, solitude when I wanted it, and camaraderie in between.  She and I made many trips there after my divorce.

It is hard to describe that feeling on paper, I have tried before.  Awe is one word.  I admit, I am easily awed, but it is a flaw/asset that I am very, very thankful for.  And peace, just sit still, close my eyes, breathe in and then exhale.  Feel the crisp and coolness of the air.  I believe that mountainous country, anything above 7000 ft. is God's country.  The air is different up there.  Looking out at the mountains is a miracle in itself.  They truly are majestic.

Now let's go to the beach, once on a vacation, it wasn't a balcony but rather a large porch.  Right on the shore, when we arrived it was dark and even though the water was right there we couldn't see it.  But standing on that porch balcony, I closed my eyes.  I could hear the water crashing onto the shore, smell the salty ocean air, feel the breeze coming off the ocean and it was pure magic.  One of my friends commented about how much time I spent sitting on that porch, I can't explain, I want to live on one of those porches or balconies.

In my travels to many cities, I always ask for an upper floor, if there is no balcony, I open the windows, looking out over a city is calming to me too.  Seeing the sites, from afar.  Skyscrapers, like man made mountains towering over human activity.  Being able to notice things like the wooden water tanks on top of modern city structures.  In the daytime, the angles of sunlight dancing on the glass structures as the sun moves across the sky.  And the lights cover the city like jewels in the darkness of night.  A balcony is all the better here also, because along with those sights, are the sounds and the smells.  The breeze, although not crisp as in the mountains, or moist as on the ocean, has its own delightfulness.  If only to remind you where you are and what kind of life goes on in this city you are looking over.

In San Diego, it was a hotel balcony, looking over the bay to the naval island.  Again I sat and this time watched the ships, freighters and many sailboats go by.

Not a balcony, but for sight, I cannot leave out the upper floor hotel room I had at Niagara Falls.  No balcony, but the whole front of the room, floor to ceiling, end to end was glass.  It was on the 22nd floor and overlooked the Canadian side of the falls.  Words cannot express what that was like at night.  It renders me speechless and sends me to that place of awe again.  Not a great photo here but gives you an idea.

In a house I once lived in there was a porch, raised from the level of the yard.  I sat out there many hours when I lived there and miss it very much.  It was my personal space, my mini tranquility.

In many apartments I lived in, the patio balcony positioning was very important, what did it overlook?  Once, in the midst of the city, my apartment patio overlooked a lot of land, with grass and trees.  I put outdoor carpet on that patio, set it up with furniture and spent a lot of time there also.  In Texas, you have to make sure your patio is not on the west side, it becomes too hot to enjoy during the summer.

I have just plumb made myself even more excited and ready to vacation again, with a balcony.  Back to the seashore this year!

So there you go - I want a balcony, please.

Thank you for sharing my peaceful place of awe.