I like to ask people to describe their internal landscape and to do so in terms of a place, a type of geography, or a geographical feature they most identify with.
When I asked my 12-year-old daughter to do this, she replied, “I’m a warm beach by the ocean. It’s salty. There are waves. And beautiful colors.” Then she looked at me and asked, “What place are you?”
Grand Canyon
I didn’t hesitate, “The Grand Canyon!”
She rolled her eyes, “Why the Grand Canyon? What’s your obsession with the Grand Canyon? Why not a warm beach by the ocean. Everyone loves beaches and the ocean!”
I can’t explain why here on the inside of me it feels like the Grand Canyon– sun baked colors, dramatic and intricate shapes cut through layer upon layer of rock — but it is an honest image.
As part of my interview with her, I asked Tori Murden McClure this same question.