in the end, I'll always be a romantic

This post has 2 parts, the first my own experiences with "the frontier" and the second my personal preference in style. Until 2012, I had never been any further west than Kansas, and even Kansas wasn't an adventure, it was helping family. My husband and I decided to go to Las Vegas for our honeymoon, and during that trip to the Grand Canyon.

The first view of the Grand Canyon in Arizona

This was the first time I felt a true sense of awe in Nature- I felt inspired and could not imagine having been a settler in the nineteenth century and coming across something as amazing, beautiful, and massive as the Grand Canyon. I know the west was discovered and developed centuries ago, but it felt so incredible to be in this environment. It was an untouched refuge of sorts; Nature is truly wild and untamed, bigger than man could ever be. 

This was my attempt to be a part of the landscape sitting on the edge of the canyon.

Recently I discovered that I am decidedly a Romantic, in the sense of romantic literature that is. The sense of escapism coupled with the power of the imagination creates a fantastical experience for me within literature. I enjoy the odd and unusual, as with Edgar Allen Poe, as well as the eccentricities of Walt Whitman. I love the story of the individual, in relation to the world as a whole; great tales of improbable circumstances but with relatable themes. My husband and I are so different: I am ever the romantic- optimistic, focus on the positive potential rather than the seemingly mundane reality. He is most definitely a realist- he focuses on realistic outcomes, whether they're positive or negative (and whether I want to hear it or not...) I appreciated the new information about the three main genres of writing, it brought new light to my own preferences and helped break down what drew me to it in the first place.