Someone said to me recently that they thought I should not write so much about Martha’s Vineyard !!!  That I should write about where I live, or other places.  All well and good but my blog is about MV and my obsession with this 100 sq mile piece of land abounding with charm and yes, in some cases, mystical qualities.

I got to thinking about something a teacher in high school said… ‘to write what you know about.’  I have to say that I do know more about MV then anyone else I know, and what I don’t know I’m researching and learning about.  I know how my heart flutters as it nears the ferries in Woods Hole.  I know how no other place I’ve ever been delights my soul and makes me feel at peace and at home.  I know how I love to breathe deeply and fill my lungs with sea air.  I know that whether I’m physically on the Vineyard or not that I AM in my mind and spirit always there.  I know how many ‘traditions’ I have to experience each time I’m on MV.  I know that it’s a hassle getting there sometimes, but that once I’ve driven onto the ferry it’s all been worth it.

So what is it that makes a place so special to a person. I know in my case it’s that MV is where my mother grew up and where I’ve been going all my life.  I know also that now my family feels the same connection, and I feel content knowing that fact.  How can sea, sand, grass and trees be so special in one place.  It must be that each experience is a part of the sum of the whole.  It’s also the surprises each trip to MV holds for me… for instance… I have never stayed anywhere else where a teeny stuffed mouse has sat atop an old fashioned typewriter in my room.  It’s  starting a conversation only to find out that the person you’re talking to knew you or your family years ago.  It’s dipping your toes into the water in the same spot you did when you were five years old and being transported back to that time.  It’s remembering your loved ones who aren’t there in body anymore but definitely in spirit.  It’s simple things too like shopping and eating and reading on the beach.  It’s all those things and more.

So… thank you for suggesting I broaden my topics,  but no thank you.  I am content writing about the place I know about and am obsessed with, and that brings me much happiness.