Before I leave New Hampshire...

I can't believe I have 6 days before I leave New England. Keene, NH has been good to me. I've met so many people and gained so much life experience in so many ways. I can't believe the 9 months I've committed of my life here is almost up. What a trip. Literally and figuratively. 

I am writing this from Providence, RI. I decided to take a solo day trip since this is the only New England state I have yet to visit. I love this little town. This trip is my congrats-for-picking-up-your-whole-life-to-move-across-the-country / happy-almost-golden-birthday / celebrate-life-experiences-and-doing-hard-things trip to self. 

I have been craving donuts for ohhhh so long, and I started off at a cute little donut shop called "Knead." Black and white 1920's style tiles with antique gold-plated glass, live plants, and white vintage decor characterized the place. And the donuts?! Passionfruit, samoa, and toffee almond crumb to name a few... I chose the latter two. The toffee almond crumb was almost the size of my face! It was glazed so thick that it almost slipped out of my fingers. Amazing. Life-changing. Spiritual. And wholly worth it. Or should I say... hole-y? I had to. Although as an RD2B, I certainly don't endorse eating donuts ALL the time, I am absolutely okay with anything in moderation. Food isn't just physical, it's social, cultural, and even spiritual at times. And that donut was just that. My dad used to take my sister and I to get donuts often as kids. We called them "dons" or "don dons." My sister and I still love donuts to this day. Donuts evoke nostalgia for me. In fact, I may end up having a donut birthday cake this year. Why not? 

After Knead, I headed to the RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) Museum, where I saw pretty much every sort of art imaginable. I wandered the museum for a few hours, in a sort of meditative solitude among the many people - near murmurs of foreign languages, baby voices, and laughter. Man, did I enjoy it. I am no art connoisseur, but I really do enjoy reading the stories and learning the history that goes along with a piece. I wonder what the artists lives were like, and how they lived. How similar and different must our lives be now? I can only wonder... 

Now I am at Dave's Coffee enjoying a spring pea and feta salad. It has fresh radish slices, shaved carrot, pesto dressing. Accompanied by a vanilla bourbon latte, because DUH. The ambiance here is... the only word that comes to mind is "ausgezeichnet," which in German loosely means "outstanding." Sometimes I think in German. Thanks Oma and Ota. The front boasts vintage hand lettered writing on large glass windows. Beautifully crafted cedar planks adorn the walls, and in the very back is a large seating area made of said cedar. Bulbous lights hang from wire above a contemporary, long black table with stools. 

After this I'll likely walk a bit, before heading home. I'd like to be home before dark. Life is rad. Experience is abound - it awaits to be had, flecked with joy waiting to be discovered. Let yourself feel fear, move past it, and into joy. 

PEACE N BLESSINGS.