The ideal place to write

Writing Exercise 3

Describe the ideal place to write.  Be very specific and detailed.

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The ideal place to write...  There are two places, actually - one is what I imagine would be the perfect place to write and the other that fits the reality of my personality better. 

First the imaginary place...  In my imagination, the perfect place to write would be at home, in my kitchen.  I can imagine myself sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, one leg folded under me.  My cat curled up on a cushion on another chair.  Sun slanting through the window, birds chirping outside.  Peacefully quiet with maybe a bit of music burbling in the background.  Nothing moving, no distractions, just me and my laptop. 

Now for the reality...  In reality, my ideal place to write is in a busy and buzzing cafe.  Crowds of people around, constant movement, low grade noise that I cancel out by plugging in my headphones and turning the music on loud enough to drown out everything around me.  The distractions are numerous.  Inside, people are laughing and talking, sliding in and out of chairs, brushing by tables in the overcrowded space.  Outside, cars are passing by the giant plate glass windows, flashing their lights, occasionally idling to wait for someone.  And right by me the coffee grinder buzzes on and off, the frappuccino machine grinds away, music on the storewide stereo keeps changing in volume and tempo from time to time.  There is a constant stream of distractions and it is only through fighting and pushing past all of them that I am actually able to concentrate and write.  Some of my best writing took place in circumstances just like this; in places where the sensory overload is so high that I have no choice but to escape inside myself, put up a glass wall around me and let the writing pour out. 

My ideal place to write is a place I want to escape from.