Posted on February 19, 2012 by Jennifer Wolfe
Traveling in a new city can be intimidating. Add to that traveling alone, in a new state, using unfamiliar public transportation, and you have a recipe for a pretty intense experience. I’m too stubborn, though, to let a little dark get in the way of what I want.
Having never before visited the nation’s capitol, I was determined to do the tourist things. I’m not shy about asking for help, advice, directions, or anything else that will keep me from doing what I want and seeing all the city has to offer.
Last night was one such experience. After dinner I headed to the metro, and introduced myself to Calvin, the friendly older gentleman in charge of the L’Enfant Metro Station at night. He couldn’t have been happier to help this California girl navigate herself around the city.
After assuring me there were ‘lots of police’ out at night, he directed me onto the ‘blue line’ towards the capitol. Upon exiting the underground stop I was astonished to be the only person within sight-and it was 8:30 p.m. on a Friday night!
Heading towards the Capitol Building I was struck by the majestic glow coming through the barren trees. The strength, beauty and majesty of our country shone brightly, and I began circling the grounds to see it from every angle. Turning, I caught a glimpse of the Washington Memorial towering high in the sky, lit up like a beacon. I began walking, sure that there would be more undiscovered beauty waiting for me along the way.
Walking the city alone, in the dark, may not be for everyone. But for me the calm and solitude of the chilly night was the perfect backdrop for the brillance I encountered. And I didn’t have to share it with anyone else-it was all for me tonight.
Are you letting something get in your way?
Posted on February 10, 2012 by Jennifer Wolfe
Some days I wish for that machine from ‘Back To The Future’ – the one where I could climb in and time travel backwards. In the movie, Marty McFly found himself thirty years back in 1955, smack in the middle of his parent’s romance.
Mainly, I’d travel back to beautiful places I’ve been in my life. I’d love the convenience of pushing a button and finding myself in a new location. If I felt like great adventures, I’d go to Nicaragua. For youthful abandon, I’d wake up in a hostel in Amsterdam. Missing my childhood pen pal? I’d go back to Yorkshire, England. Nostalgia for family who have passed on would send me back to Sherman Oaks, California. A yearning for academic stimulation would find me in Berkeley.
Today I want to jump in with Marty and travel back to the place where generations of my family have landed before me. I want to walk on the soft white sand towards the lone Cyprus. I want to climb over to Bird Rock and peek into the Whaler’s Cabin at Point Lobos. I want to climb Hawk Tower and stare into the Pacific, imagining Jeffer’s view from the early 1900s. I want to watch my babies bury themselves in the sand of the Bird Sanctuary Beach and giggle as they wiggle their toes free.
Then tomorrow I’ll be back in 2012, immersed in life as I know it today. I’ll be driving from mountain to mountain, cheering my children as they catapult down the ski run. I’ll be packing lunches and loading skis, grading papers and doing laundry, unloading groceries and washing dishes.
But just for today, could you open the door and let me have a moment just for me?
Posted on February 4, 2012 by Jennifer Wolfe
He stands on the edge
of
childhood
open wide
ready
to embrace the world
He balances between
me
and
them
ready
to let go
He straddles the vastness
of
the majestic Sierra
and the confines
of the salty shore
ready
to move forward
Confident
Certain
Shouting
“I am strong”
to the Paiutes who came before
and
they believed him
Posted on January 27, 2012 by Jennifer Wolfe
“Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.”
— Oscar Wilde
Sometimes we take the simple things for granted. It seems like so many people spend their days racing around, trying to get from one place to another and steamroll whatever gets in their way.
We consume, presume and resume in a never ending cycle. Life feels like a treadmill, and when we take one misstep it spits us off, crumpled into the dirt.
We search for the next best new thing, the next victim of our stress, the next issue to argue over.
Today’s photo is simple. Soft. Quiet. Close up. To some it may look simply like snow on sticks.
But take a closer glance.
To me, it reminds me to stop, slow down, take a step in, and look.
Listen.
See what the world is offering.
It’s simple.
Posted on January 20, 2012 by Jennifer Wolfe
This is how my son sees himself:
Invincible.
Capable.
Brave.
He can hang from trees, climb rocks, take down an intruder
and
fly down a ski course.
He can run fast and think hard.
This is how I see my son:
Gentle.
Intelligent.
Fearless.
He can snuggle his dog, play the piano, help a stranger
and
make lemon pasta.
He can think fast and run hard.
He is still a little boy, yet almost a little man.
Change is hard.
Fascinating.
Frustrating.
Beautiful.
Having never before visited the nation’s capitol, I was determined to do the tourist things. I’m not shy about asking for help, advice, directions, or anything else that will keep me from doing what I want and seeing all the city has to offer.
