On a different theme, I am sitting in the dark in my office looking out my window, solidly 85% satisfied with my overall life state. Perhaps that missing percent is attributed to a sore hip and not being able to fall asleep, combined with some unsettling creaks in a dark house and construction dust. It is nice to glance to my left, however, and take in an unusually quiet Boston night. The sky is purple with no stars, but more like a nice blanket instead of a hazy foggy star-smothering mask. Everyone's house lights are out, and I can see straight through the lots and backyards of the three blocks to the North. If we were at the top of our street, I would have a perfect view of the nearby downtown skyline, but its okay because I can visualize it.
Nights like these and being home (NH) for the past two weekends make me remember all of the dark drives I've been fortunate to partake in. Cold crisp New Hampshire nights, dotted with stars... sitting in the car somewhere street lights wouldn't illuminate waiting out those last few minutes before it was required to return home. When it began getting warm in Western MA during college I always looked forward to sleepless nights because it was the perfect excuse for hopping into the Geo Tracker at 2am and getting completely lost on farm roads, back roads, swampy roads... always with the windows down for the benefit of sounds and smells. I don't get a lot of time like that anymore, mostly because I have so little time for myself. Or, when I do but am in the mood for company, no one wants to go adventure. Or (part 3) because I live in the city, and there is a significant lack of ways to get lost (safely!). I've found it fun to traipse through Brookline and surrounding towns... hills, reservoirs, sneaky secret paths and the like, all pretty close to home. Unfortunately I feel the need for something brand new in my life, a new adventure to add on/explore. Things have been fairly stagnant for awhile in the realm of adventure, thrill and surprise... maybe that's where that 15% went.
I hear you. There's something about W. Mass that I can't recreate here either. Back when I was still commuting out to Amherst from Boston for a while, I'd often take a little longer coming home just to take in the hills, roads, and film-inspiring fields. One escape I've found everywhere I am is cemeteries! As awful as that sounds... If an old cemetery/burial ground catches my eye as I'm driving (and if I have the time) I tend to pull over and explore the names, the dates, and enjoy the challenge of reading through thick moss and taking in the quiet.
ReplyDeleteI think it's easy to get caught up in where we're headed in the city. Point A to point B. I hope you can find that adventure you're looking for! But for me, it's often just the act of taking an intermission from my life, and then returning to my car with a new sense of self, and driving on into Act #4,796...
A long response, but this entry is something I can really relate to. =)
Cemetery creeper... just kidding, that sounds cool! Mount Auburn is supposed to be a beautiful cemetery.
Deleteunsettling creaks and construction dust hints at the 15% I suspect...
ReplyDeleteha i bet!
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