Dear J-
This morning I heard they were offering free admission to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center — our local Discovery Museum — and that was reason enough to go. We’ve been before, both with and without figgy; every time I walk by the building, goggle at the size outside, and end up walking out a couple of hours later wondering where all the exhibits are. There are quite a few, and plenty of hands-on fun things to do; still, though, the variety isn’t quite enough to completely arrest an active toddler.
Once we had left (only one small meltdown later) we made our way down a few yards away; if you’re walking down El Prado from the fountain towards the Museum of Art, you can take a left into an idyllic bowl called the Zoro Garden. The story that I’ve heard is that during World War II, with the Naval Hospital running full-tilt, injured vets would rehab by navigating the garden paths spiraling around the garden. We made our way down amongst the butterflies and hummingbirds so we could share in animal crackers and milk. After a short time, we were joined by a parkour club jumping at walls; this put me in mind of this season’s premiere of The Office, yelling out “Parkour!” and jumping madly on various things.
We either see obstacles as barriers or challenges; I was irritated at having to deal with people running through our little oasis, but it’s a public garden, and everyone’s able to use it as they see fit. Later it came to me that ultimately it’s our choice: we choose to be irritated, or we choose to accept; we choose our response, and it’s a lesson that we’re all going to have to learn. I have to work tomorrow, and rather than bemoan my all too likely fate, I’m going to pack as much weekend into today as possible.
Mike
