Thoughts from Places: Nelson, BC

Before we went, when I'd tell people I was going to Nelson, they would usually say, "Do you have family there?" I would pause, reflect and, if it was someone I didn't really want to talk to, I'd lie and say yes. If I cared about the person, I'd explain why we were actually going. But the reasons sounded flat even before they left my mouth.

We just wanted to see the place. My distance ed school is based there and we'd heard good things. Pretty much every person I talked to about this town of 10,000 in the mountains would respond in one of two ways:

1. "Nelson? Where's that?" OR
2. "You're going to Nelson?! That's so cool. I love it there. It's such a rad little town.", etc.

Maybe hearing rumours of its inherent charm isn't enough to get a lot of families to embark on a nine hour drive but it was enough for us. Since childhood, my family has been one of roadtrips. We're part nomad, I'm convinced of it.*

On September 10th, we set off on our journey, winding along mountains and camping along rivers until we got to Nelson on Tuesday. We stayed at a hostel there. The place was characterized by creaky floorboards and excessively large keys. Naturally, we loved it.

The thing about Nelson, geographically speaking, is that it is right next to a lake in the mountains. And it is largely a hill. So that's a bit... challenging. But aside from my whining about walking up hills, it's a pretty grand set-up.

For the two nights we were there, I mostly hung out in the lobby reading but when I did venture outside, it was delightful. There's some really amazing restaurants and shops and the farmers' market on Wednesday morning was lovely. There's something that's harder to describe, too. Something about the way people smile at you when you pass them on the street and how everywhere you look there's something to do with social justice, environmentalism or just plain awesomeness.

It really got me wondering about setting. I feel like as a writer, I put a lot of emphasis on place. I'm not even that good about writing convincing settings**. I do think about them, though. I was really comfortable in Nelson and it is somewhere I could potentially see myself. The actual idea of leaving is scary, of course, but the possibility is only slightly daunting.

"It's so hard to leave--until you do. And then it's the easiest goddamned thing in the world" -Paper Towns, John Green

I've been rolling around that quote in my mind for weeks now and I can't push it away. Anyway, as my wise sister said, "I think I could be happy anywhere."

*And you know we're purportedly 70% water? Yeah, I'm pretty sure my family is at least 40% tea. That's called unschooler science
**Both of my novels are set where I live because I am just that unimaginative.