“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”
― David Attenborough (Natural historian)
this & that
In spite of COVID-19, an election season, and a population who is reimagining the relationship between work and home life, my This & That series continues to go on as usual. In these posts, I generally highlight random happenings and things that catch my eye: places to go, hobbies to look into, a thought to ponder. This blog post features color, the earth and comfort. In the midst of so much change, finding focus in the details can be grounding.
new york city, see you again soon
during the pandemic
before the pandemic
As soon as the covid numbers in NYC improved, I was able to meet with a friend and a client in New York City. Grand Central Terminal, a spot that generally sees 750,000 visitors a day (only Times Square beats that number) the hustle and bustle was a fraction of its usual excitement. I took Metro-North as I have for years, which was clean and I was quick to navigate alongside a few commuters. I do love New York.
Before Covid landed, NYC was packed, and that fast pace was missing from the streets. I walked on, glad to have my mask and gloves, kept a safe distance from others as I reminisced. I have a strong feeling the city will recover and until then we all have to be safe. As comedian Jerry Seinfeld said in his recent 60 Minutes interview, and in the New York Times, “[Covid] just kicked over the whole anthill. And what do the ants do? Let’s get back to work!” I thought that seemed like a positive take. New York City has been through the wringer before, and I bet she comes out on the other side flourishing. Time will tell, but I have high hopes.
goodbye summer, welcome fall
I’ve been walking several miles a day, on the beaches where I live, and in the land trust meadows. Fresh air and picking wildflowers are good for the mind and heart, and led me to do something I never thought I would do; pressing flowers! What has gotten into me? The best-pressed flowers I have seen were done by my step-daughter Stefanie before her wedding last year. Though I will not get to that level of expertise, I do enjoy the process and the final product will be improved with practice.
breathe and take everything in
On my walks I sometimes run into strangers and neighbors carrying various botany books and searching for local foliage. I use the i-naturalist app. It seems plenty of people are trying to focus on finding calm during after this crazy political climate and nature knows how to bring me to that headspace better than anything. Getting out of the house can be a release in so many ways. Breathe.
If you like this or any of my other blog posts, feel free to follow me and sign up here. I create something every few weeks and you will receive an email when it comes out. I used various cameras for this post, along with my iPhone 11.
