Living Life Outdoors
From time to time I weigh the pros and cons of city life, on occasion dreaming of the country. I imagine myself living on a quaint farmette in a beautiful home overlooking hills, valleys, lakes and trails, an Olympic-size pool and a few cottages for when friends come to visit. I would have animals – horses, a few pigs, cows, chickens, and of course, dogs and cats. No, Hannah, I didn’t forget the alpaca and lamas. I most definitely need a pair of each. There would be flower and vegetable gardens (a field each of sunflower and artichokes, and a pumpkin patch are at the top of my list), and I would set up a roadside stand to sell the fruits of my labor. I might even open up a little antique store too.
It all looks and sounds good on paper, and it can happen! Of course I need to find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, locate a long lost rich relative or acquire a winning lottery ticket. (I would rob a bank, but my mama raised me better.) Until this happens I’ll continue to enjoy my weekend drives into the country and appreciate those occasional lazy afternoons when my daydreams and fantasies collide into a world of wonderment and creativity. However, I always come back and remain content with the reality of my life in the city. Cities and I are simpatico. The atmosphere in most is food for the brain, the lights place a longing in the heart, and the sounds stir imagination and amusement in the soul. City or country, both have the ability to make any person dream big and feel larger than life. It just depends how you look at it.
City life was my destination this weekend, spending most of my time outdoors in the heart of what I call home - Baltimore, hiking on trails and running near reservoirs and streams. I enjoy being near any body of water (I don’t need a big ocean or sea), because it attracts some of my favorite wildlife, in particular Canadian geese, ducks, seagulls and other birds.
I took those occasional trips indoors too, spending quality time at the Enoch Pratt Library, Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, and I made time for meditation at the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens. All in all, it was a nice weekend.
The one thing I enjoy most about my treks through the city is when my eyes come across those interesting extrinsic objects – like new buildings or flower beds where there was once concrete, etc. I loathe graffiti, but appreciate a good message from time to time too.
Here’s to the weekend. I hope you made the most of yours because I definitely made the most of mine, doing what I love most – living life outdoors. - paerki
Additional Photos: A Walk Through The City
Related Posts: Wide Open Spaces, Yielding To Signs, City Life: Communities That Work
