Long Walks On Leafy Streets

1/28/2014 Harlan St, NW Washington, DC
After a brief spell of relative warmth over the past weekend we are back to arctic weather today. But this is actually our normal winter pattern, though. Not the polar vortex mentioned in earlier posts. In January the temperatures average in the forties with occasional days or two in the twenties or thirties.
On Saturday we saw the show “ShenYun” at the Kennedy Center. It was organized by Falun Gong members and included a fair bit of propaganda. But I actually didn’t mind it because I agree with their philosophy of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance and the practice of Qigong and meditation. I also enjoyed the scenes of pastoral and scenic landscapes of China.
On the way to and from the show we had to drive through Rock Creek Park on Beach Drive. As the car wound through the park lit only by the headlights the dark waters of the rock creek glistened and the snow-covered valley on both sides reflected the light.
I always enjoy driving through Rock Creek Park at night and it looked especially beautiful with the snow.
I walked to work last Friday as well as yesterday. On Friday it was extremely cold, probably in the teens. I was wondering a bit if it was a good idea to walk all three and a half miles to campus in that weather. But once I started walking it didn’t feel so bad. In fact I was able to walk at quite a brisk pace and get to campus in under an hour. I am not sure if it was because I didn’t want to be outside for too long! I even started sweating and had to take off my sweater and hat after a while. I did have long johns and a jacket on, though.
Yesterday was a bit warmer. I only had a jacket on. About halfway I even took that off. Much of the ice and snow on the sidewalks had melted and I had an easier time walking.
As I passed Hamilton St on Kansas Ave I saw a hearse parked in front of the Gethsemane Baptist Church. A funeral service seemed to be taking place. There was one taking place at the same church as I walked past it on Friday as well. Always a reminder of the transitory nature of our life. It also made me wonder if I had been seeing a lot of funerals around DC lately. The nature of the city is changing from that of a majority black city to a more diverse one. Many of the blacks still living in DC are older and have been living here for most of their lives. In our own street we see this change happening. When we arrived we met some neighbors who have been living on our street for a long time. We have also been seeing many of the homes being sold and a newer, more diverse group of people moving in.
Our campus is by the Washington Hospital Center, across the reservoir. As I approached campus I saw many birds on the reservoir and a medevac helicopter (another bird!) land gracefully at the Hospital Center. The reservoir was shining in the bright sunlight. The waters were jumping about in the wind. My prediction about the lake freezing over did not come true. I had forgotten about the wind. It had been windy all of past week and that had kept the water from turning into ice even in frigid conditions.
It is amazing how our attitude to life can completely change it. The past few weeks I have been going about things with a more relaxed attitude, finding joy in whatever I do. Whether it is walking to work or talking to my students, I am enjoying it. Hopefully this will last throughout this semester!

Directory Previous