Long Walks On Leafy Streets

12/05/2013 Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC
(5.35 pm) Rest in peace, Madiba.

Today the weather is back to spring time again. Birds are chirping and the sun is peeking through the clouds now and then. For a little while I thought we were in winter weather for good. Last couple of weeks it has been actually colder then usual. We had the heater going throughout the house, wore our heavy jackets while going out and generally got used to the idea of winter. But now it looks like we will be warm for a day or two. In fact today the heater has not run all day because it was so warm outside. Such is Washington weather, or should I say the weather in the climate change era.
Last night Nicole and I went to Susan’s studio for the last meeting of the book group for Thich Nhat Hanh’s “The Art of Communication.” As usual it was very pleasant to be with others in the book group and also to discuss the book. After the meeting one of the group members Winifred gave us a ride in her mini.
She talked with enthusiasm about how the fact that this car gave 36 mpg was an important factor in her buying it. It is always wonderful to know when someone cares so much about not polluting our planet.
As part of my own efforts I spent last Friday insulating the windows of our house. It was the day after thanksgiving. After cooking a wonderful thanksgiving dinner Nicole spent Friday with her mother and I stayed home working on research and doing little errands in the house in between. The temperature was mostly in the low forties and upper thirties on that day. I covered a couple of windows with insulating plastic sheet and also covered up the air-conditioners outside with a plastic hood that we had found and bought at the hardware store. Sometimes you find things at the store that are useful that you didn’t even know about before. Now the house feels much warmer without any drafts of cold air. Well-insulated homes are so much more comfortable and save a lot of money in heating and cooling bills. It is really nice when you can do something simple like that by yourself and it makes a big difference. I also found, to my pleasant surprise, that the office room in our house that I am working in right now doesn’t need much heat during the daytime because the windows on the south and west sides bring plenty of heat and light from the sun.
On the following day after sending off her mother to Philadelphia at the train station we went for a long walk in Georgetown. We started by walking along Pennsylvania Ave. A group of Egyptians were protesting the excesses of the Egyptian Army in front of their embassy near L St. There were a lot of people walking around in Georgetown, which wore a festive look. We walked for about a mile along the towpath. Parts of the canal were frozen, although perhaps not enough for people to go ice-skating. It was very refreshing to be out walking with her, enjoying the sights of people and nature. Georgetown is very special to us. It is where we got engaged. It is where I started the first outing for the nature lovers’ meetup hiking group. It is where we go to enjoy the river and the canal.
Being in nature has always been very refreshing for the spirit. It is also inspiring when you want to go deep within yourself. Jesus, Muhammad, the Buddha, the Hindu sages, all found refuge and enlightenment in nature. I was reading last week a blog by this young man who went to the woods in Wisconsin to live by himself for 21 days and was able to see his own true nature and how there was so much more to life. It reminded me of my own time in a country house in Pennsylvania where I spent about two months in solitude. I wonder if human beings would be able to transcend their mundane existence if not for the inspiration provided by nature and solitude.

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