SLOing Down
High, low, high, low. Wildfire, storm, new outbreaks, unhealthy air, another friend tests positive for COVID-19, we must stay inside, but it’s too hot to think, work, live inside. But we can’t breathe outside either, to protect ourselves, to protect each other. But I need to see people. I need signs of life, I need more than the bare necessities. Mask on, mask off. Lather, lather, twenty seconds. What number am I on now? Dispense, cleanse. Purell: humanity’s best friend at the expense of parched skin and sticky residue.
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We finally committed to a weekend for a quick getaway from *blah* to San Luis Obispo, CA, otherwise known as the “Happiest Place in America.” My husband always points out how ironic my wish is to permanently transplant there given how difficult it was for me to get accustomed to Santa Barbara. “Santa Barbara wore down the straight-out-of-LA me, so I don’t notice SLO’s smaller population and lower diversity,” I always retort. It’s definitely not the end-all-be-all — I maintain a running list of places where I’d like to possibly settle down. For now, I’m content with day trips or overnight stays.
Given the ongoing streak of hotter than usual weather in October, I didn’t want to do anything strenuous but I still wanted to get away from technology and connect with more tactile experiences, so my search led me to a one-hour horseback riding experience behind the beloved Madonna Inn. It was much closer and more beginner-friendly than other horseback riding options (located 40 minutes to an hour away), so it was the perfect option for our plans to spend the rest of the day in downtown SLO.
