Many Thoughts… One Wish
Yesterday I was ripe for a long walk, four hours to be exact. My travels took me through many Baltimore neighborhoods: Roland Park, Remington, Hampden, Reservoir Hill, Bolton Hill, Charles Village, and back to where it all began, in my neck of the woods, Tuscany-Canterbury.
My day began without a plan, but I knew I wanted to be outdoors to decompress, think, and of course, explore. With my adventures in the open air I am always excited to amuse myself with other people's actions and interactions via communication and physical behavior. I am forever curious to see the evolution of season change too, with spring’s demise close at hand, and summer ready to take over. We’ve been teased during the past few weeks with the dog days that are soon to arrive in full. Intermittent heat and humidity is ready to take over. I loathe both, but only when they intensify. It’s hard to believe that summer will be here in 18 days, but I say, "Bring it on!" I’m ready for vacations, pool parties, amusement parks, etc.
There were many common themes played out during the day in each community I visited. There were contradictions and extremes at work too, which were baffling. I saw people at work in the hot sun, pruning, watering and rearranging their gardens. They wore their happiness for all to see because they were passionate and took pride in beautifying their neighborhood. Sadly, I saw others discarding trash on the street, a few into community gardens (so, not cool and hindering the good work of others). I observed kind language between neighbors, hearing one woman say to another, "Let me know if you need my help." I came across a group of young black middle school students who used the word nigger more than a handful of times as if it were a preposition. I don’t write it as the n-word because it is what it is, and it must never be used because it holds no purpose other than defining your ignorance. I thought the NAACP buried this word, but I am sad to say, not deep enough.
Neighborhoods at war, its members’ eager to help it thrive and survive, and others abusing it without any remorse can be a daunting task. I don’t want to come off as a "Debbie Downer" because I constantly see the good, and I do see the possibilities. There is a mandate to correct that which is bad. It doesn’t matter who you are, all play a role, and we must make better choices, especially if we want to compete, communicate collectively, and above all, thrive.
I continued my walk, and took a detour, which proved exciting and scary. I saw a family of deer. They were precious, timid and fast. I got a picture of the mother, but all took off. Shortly after, I was face to face with a raccoon. We were both looking at each other, and there might have been 25 feet between us (a bit too close for my comfort, especially since it was hissing at me). I decided to travel another route, but it was looking to follow, which led to me to think of a Family Guy episode (an occasional guilty pleasure of mine), where a raccoon lunges toward Peter and lands on his face. I’m thinking to myself, this can’t be good, especially with the hissing and the following. I did a little run and made another detour, and lucky for me the raccoon did not follow... Thank God!
It was not too long after I arrived at the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens. I got there too late on my last visit, which was a few weeks ago. This time around I got there at the perfect time to gain entrance, and I began taking photographs. It really is a charming place and a must see. Parts of it made me think of when I lived in Arizona. I don’t think I appreciated the state as much as I would have liked. Where I am today, Arizona is looking pretty good.
I met a young woman (Erin) who works at the conservatory, helping to keep it alive and blooming. She walked into the orchid room where I was taking photographs. We had a pleasant conversation. She was polite, engaging, knowledgeable, friendly and represented this space well. I had many questions for her, and she had answers. I appreciated her pleasant, fun side, but relished in the professionalism. Erin, I hope to see you again, and thank you for your hard work. BTW – your recommendation to see the outdoor garden was wonderful. I could see your efforts and that of your fellow workers. Great job!
Throughout the remainder of my walk I was thinking about all I saw and heard today. I was also pondering some personal struggles too, you know, trying to make sense out of it all. I spent time reading between the lines and looking for those hidden messages, as we all do from time-to-time.With my many thoughts, I came back to one thing and it was in the form of a wish, and that wish is that we do better. I always hear, don’t sweat the small stuff; however, I do believe that is what is challenging us at this moment. The small things become large, so to not deal with them at the beginning will only cripple us later.
Trash tossed on the ground, using the word nigger, passing laws in Arizona that have the capability of profiling citizens, pointing a finger at who is gay and straight, attacking another person’s faith, etc... are all in my eyes criminal. I’m not a religious person, but I find myself often saying, "God doesn’t like ugly." I believe in something greater, but not what was taught to me from a fundamentalist perspective. These days, my response to anything religious has me quoting Susan B. Anthony – "I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."
My recommendation to all is to take a walk, and for some of you take many walks, to clear that which binds you and makes you unwilling to work for the greater good of all, and if you can’t make it work, agree to disagree. Do what the raccoon and I did, part ways without harm. Again, my wish is that we do better, and do so with an open heart. What is your wish? – paerki
(On a more personal note: To the woman working at the front desk at the Conservatory, when guests come into the building please say, "Hello" or "Welcome," and when they leave say, "Goodbye" or "Thank you for coming," or maybe, "Come again." When I left today, I said "Bye" and "Thank you" because I enjoyed my time in this iconic structure, and I would appreciate seeing a friendly face to greet me, which plays into the whole experience. You have professionalism written all over you, but your interpersonal skills need a bit of work. A "grunt" when I came in and an "Uh –huh" to my reply of thank you when I left was, well, unprofessional. I’m not taking this personally because I’m convinced you do this everyday to everyone, and I don’t believe you know any better. It’s unfortunate when we aren’t aware, and I always think it’s nice when people make us aware. Don’t you? You can do better with customer service, and my wish is that you will learn before I visit the next time. The aforementioned is said with kindness and not out of malice or disdain.)
My day began without a plan, but I knew I wanted to be outdoors to decompress, think, and of course, explore. With my adventures in the open air I am always excited to amuse myself with other people's actions and interactions via communication and physical behavior. I am forever curious to see the evolution of season change too, with spring’s demise close at hand, and summer ready to take over. We’ve been teased during the past few weeks with the dog days that are soon to arrive in full. Intermittent heat and humidity is ready to take over. I loathe both, but only when they intensify. It’s hard to believe that summer will be here in 18 days, but I say, "Bring it on!" I’m ready for vacations, pool parties, amusement parks, etc.
There were many common themes played out during the day in each community I visited. There were contradictions and extremes at work too, which were baffling. I saw people at work in the hot sun, pruning, watering and rearranging their gardens. They wore their happiness for all to see because they were passionate and took pride in beautifying their neighborhood. Sadly, I saw others discarding trash on the street, a few into community gardens (so, not cool and hindering the good work of others). I observed kind language between neighbors, hearing one woman say to another, "Let me know if you need my help." I came across a group of young black middle school students who used the word nigger more than a handful of times as if it were a preposition. I don’t write it as the n-word because it is what it is, and it must never be used because it holds no purpose other than defining your ignorance. I thought the NAACP buried this word, but I am sad to say, not deep enough.
Neighborhoods at war, its members’ eager to help it thrive and survive, and others abusing it without any remorse can be a daunting task. I don’t want to come off as a "Debbie Downer" because I constantly see the good, and I do see the possibilities. There is a mandate to correct that which is bad. It doesn’t matter who you are, all play a role, and we must make better choices, especially if we want to compete, communicate collectively, and above all, thrive.
I continued my walk, and took a detour, which proved exciting and scary. I saw a family of deer. They were precious, timid and fast. I got a picture of the mother, but all took off. Shortly after, I was face to face with a raccoon. We were both looking at each other, and there might have been 25 feet between us (a bit too close for my comfort, especially since it was hissing at me). I decided to travel another route, but it was looking to follow, which led to me to think of a Family Guy episode (an occasional guilty pleasure of mine), where a raccoon lunges toward Peter and lands on his face. I’m thinking to myself, this can’t be good, especially with the hissing and the following. I did a little run and made another detour, and lucky for me the raccoon did not follow... Thank God!
It was not too long after I arrived at the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens. I got there too late on my last visit, which was a few weeks ago. This time around I got there at the perfect time to gain entrance, and I began taking photographs. It really is a charming place and a must see. Parts of it made me think of when I lived in Arizona. I don’t think I appreciated the state as much as I would have liked. Where I am today, Arizona is looking pretty good.
I met a young woman (Erin) who works at the conservatory, helping to keep it alive and blooming. She walked into the orchid room where I was taking photographs. We had a pleasant conversation. She was polite, engaging, knowledgeable, friendly and represented this space well. I had many questions for her, and she had answers. I appreciated her pleasant, fun side, but relished in the professionalism. Erin, I hope to see you again, and thank you for your hard work. BTW – your recommendation to see the outdoor garden was wonderful. I could see your efforts and that of your fellow workers. Great job!
Throughout the remainder of my walk I was thinking about all I saw and heard today. I was also pondering some personal struggles too, you know, trying to make sense out of it all. I spent time reading between the lines and looking for those hidden messages, as we all do from time-to-time.With my many thoughts, I came back to one thing and it was in the form of a wish, and that wish is that we do better. I always hear, don’t sweat the small stuff; however, I do believe that is what is challenging us at this moment. The small things become large, so to not deal with them at the beginning will only cripple us later.
Trash tossed on the ground, using the word nigger, passing laws in Arizona that have the capability of profiling citizens, pointing a finger at who is gay and straight, attacking another person’s faith, etc... are all in my eyes criminal. I’m not a religious person, but I find myself often saying, "God doesn’t like ugly." I believe in something greater, but not what was taught to me from a fundamentalist perspective. These days, my response to anything religious has me quoting Susan B. Anthony – "I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."
My recommendation to all is to take a walk, and for some of you take many walks, to clear that which binds you and makes you unwilling to work for the greater good of all, and if you can’t make it work, agree to disagree. Do what the raccoon and I did, part ways without harm. Again, my wish is that we do better, and do so with an open heart. What is your wish? – paerki
(On a more personal note: To the woman working at the front desk at the Conservatory, when guests come into the building please say, "Hello" or "Welcome," and when they leave say, "Goodbye" or "Thank you for coming," or maybe, "Come again." When I left today, I said "Bye" and "Thank you" because I enjoyed my time in this iconic structure, and I would appreciate seeing a friendly face to greet me, which plays into the whole experience. You have professionalism written all over you, but your interpersonal skills need a bit of work. A "grunt" when I came in and an "Uh –huh" to my reply of thank you when I left was, well, unprofessional. I’m not taking this personally because I’m convinced you do this everyday to everyone, and I don’t believe you know any better. It’s unfortunate when we aren’t aware, and I always think it’s nice when people make us aware. Don’t you? You can do better with customer service, and my wish is that you will learn before I visit the next time. The aforementioned is said with kindness and not out of malice or disdain.)
