You may not have seen a giraffe with appropriate PPE, or had breakfast in a redwood grove, or found the elusive Albion rose, but there may just be something that gives your heart a moment of peace. Post or don't but please spend a bit of time today, recalling, searching for the good.
So, what happened today, other than my gallery of splendid moments?
Without a plan or intention, I walked a marathon, plus a bit today ( 27 miles). I gave myself a classy start, I filled my USC travel mug with Earl Grey tea, packed a muffin in my backpack, filled my water bottle, and left home just before 8.
My first couple of miles were among the goofiest yet, sipping my tea, hiking, hopping rocks to cross into the park, sipping and hiking, hiking and sipping. I will be doing this again, it was an out of context treat for the morning.
I did want to visit another park, so I left Edgewood, and crossed into Huddart Park. Huddart has many microclimates ( ok, I was a docent there for years, and can recall a bit of what we were taught to teach the field trippers!). and after walking through a riparian zone, then a coastal plain, I found a log in a redwood grove, and had a brunch stop. I clambered down to Kings Mountain Road, and headed for the bustling metropolis of downtown Woodside. I had the good luck of seeing a dear friend or two, and in a 6 foot away and masked manner we checked in. If you have read this far, is anyone else overjoyed when you run into friends these days? I even plan some of my routes to just walk by the homes of my dearest friends, just to see the doors that have opened and welcomed me, the yards where we have had our iced teas and solved the problems of the world, and laughed til we cried. And sometimes, cried til we laughed. The history of these friendships, the ways we are managing to stay connected now, fills my heart. So, in a long winded way, there is my gratitude for this day.
Tomorrow is Mother's Day, and to my sisters, and brothers that stepped in to give me unconditional love, thank you. To Rita and Lisa, who stepped up and made me a part of their loving family, to the moms,friends and neighbors, who helped me learn to be the kind of mom I wanted to be, thank you . To Neal, who was by my side as long as he could be, and always, always put family first, and to Margot, Dylan and Bridget, who make me so proud to be a mom, thank you.
So, what happened today, other than my gallery of splendid moments?
Without a plan or intention, I walked a marathon, plus a bit today ( 27 miles). I gave myself a classy start, I filled my USC travel mug with Earl Grey tea, packed a muffin in my backpack, filled my water bottle, and left home just before 8.
My first couple of miles were among the goofiest yet, sipping my tea, hiking, hopping rocks to cross into the park, sipping and hiking, hiking and sipping. I will be doing this again, it was an out of context treat for the morning.
I did want to visit another park, so I left Edgewood, and crossed into Huddart Park. Huddart has many microclimates ( ok, I was a docent there for years, and can recall a bit of what we were taught to teach the field trippers!). and after walking through a riparian zone, then a coastal plain, I found a log in a redwood grove, and had a brunch stop. I clambered down to Kings Mountain Road, and headed for the bustling metropolis of downtown Woodside. I had the good luck of seeing a dear friend or two, and in a 6 foot away and masked manner we checked in. If you have read this far, is anyone else overjoyed when you run into friends these days? I even plan some of my routes to just walk by the homes of my dearest friends, just to see the doors that have opened and welcomed me, the yards where we have had our iced teas and solved the problems of the world, and laughed til we cried. And sometimes, cried til we laughed. The history of these friendships, the ways we are managing to stay connected now, fills my heart. So, in a long winded way, there is my gratitude for this day.
Tomorrow is Mother's Day, and to my sisters, and brothers that stepped in to give me unconditional love, thank you. To Rita and Lisa, who stepped up and made me a part of their loving family, to the moms,friends and neighbors, who helped me learn to be the kind of mom I wanted to be, thank you . To Neal, who was by my side as long as he could be, and always, always put family first, and to Margot, Dylan and Bridget, who make me so proud to be a mom, thank you.