I now realize when I started this blog a few months ago that I was projecting what I needed when I decided on its title: A Dose of R&R. Ultimately the “R&R” represents who I am and what makes me tick due to my paternal and maternal roots (Rodman and Reid), but of course R&R is commonly known as rest and relaxation. Like most of us who are overworked and should add Professional Juggler to our resumes, seeking out rest and relaxation is high on our wish list but ends up low on our to-do-list.
After yesterday’s adventure, I am dreaming of things that will rejuvenate me. I need more than Calgon to take me away. I scoured the web for images and will long to insert myself into one of these scenarios in the near future.
Growing up in a region with four seasons was a real treat. The opportunity to feel the range of temperatures with the gradual progression in which they are intended provided me with an awareness of the good, the bad and the ugly. You knew what to expect based on the date on your calendar. This is a great scene from the movie Notting Hill showing the natural progression of climate change through the course of a year.
During my short stint of living in California I viewed climate through a different lens. I lived in San Francisco and traveled to Southern California often to visit friends and family, so I got the full taste of the sunshine state. Due to my upbringing, it never felt like Christmas because it wasn’t cold enough to snow. Front yards that were homes to fake snowmen in mild weather baffled me. For the majority of my life I was sweating on my August birthday; my first birthday celebrated in San Francisco I was wearing a leather coat. Just like Mark Twain said:
The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.
I cannot say for sure when weather patterns started changing but it seems like over the past decade things have gotten out of whack. The past few years we’ve had numerous blizzards, but this last winter the DC Metro area only had maybe a total of 5 inches of snow! Multiple days this March felt like we should have been heading into the Memorial Day weekend, and yesterday it was hotter than July (humming Stevie Wonder in my head) – Mother Nature rolled double 8s! The 7-day outlook on the local news the past few weeks have looked like a roller coaster of hills and valleys instead of a steady stream; flip-flops one day and then break out the boots the next. I miss the consistency of what seasons once were. I guess Snow Miser and Heat Miser have chosen to continue their bickering beyond the Christmas holiday, and their drama is effecting us all year-long:
…and whiskers on kittens Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens Brown paper packages tied up with strings These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes Silver white winters that melt into springs These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites When the bee stings When I’m feeling sad I simply remember my favorite things And then I don’t feel so bad
I am turning a page today and thinking of things that make me happy.
Well, sort of. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is located at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. The Tidal Basin is home to the famed cherry trees that were gifted by Tokyo a century ago. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is scheduled to kickoff on Tuesday, March 20. I thought I’d share a preview of what’s in store from photos I took last year.
My elementary school had annual Spring Festivals. When I was in first grade I played Dorothy in our mash-up version of The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz. My mom made me a special dress, I had the Judy Garland ponytails and I got to Ease on Down the Road. My entrance into the multipurpose room was to twirl and spin like a top in order to simulate me being whisked in by the tornado. It was all play and pretend. It was all for show.
Today I wish the news of the tornado ravaged cities was only for show. I’ve never lived in the Midwest or anywhere south of Virginia, so I am unfamiliar with preparing for tornado season and the wonderment of ‘what ifs’ that come along with it. To have safety and shelter one minute and in a split second only own the belongs on your back is hard for me to fathom. This is the reality for hundreds of thousands this morning. There is nothing easy about the road they are traveling down today or the weeks ahead. Possessions are replaceable by loved ones are not. My heart goes out to those who lost family and friends.
In the movies Dorothy gets swept up by a tornado that transports her to a magical wonderland so she can learn the simple life lesson that she didn’t have to look further than her own back yard to appreciate her heart’s desires. In real life the tornado rips through your world, leaves you no house, no front yard, no back yard and there is no magical wonderland waiting for you. If only the victims could be given a pair of ruby slippers and click their heels to bring back their sense of security – their sense of home. “There’s no place like home” and I pray for speedy recovery so they can feel at home again.
Whenever Springlike weather is in the forecast people pour out of their houses and flood the great outdoors. Yesterday morning I said I think I’ll go for a walk outside and soak up some sunshine. Off to Rock Creek Park I went and strolled down through the National Zoo. I snapped a few shots and witnessed nature in motion. After looking through the slideshow you’ll see why the lyrics to The Blackbyrds’ Rock Creek Park came to light:
Doing it in the park, Doing it after dark, Oh yeah, Rock Creek Park, Oh yeah, Rock Creek Park
The expression ‘It’s a perfect day there’s not a cloud in the sky’ never made sense to me. I recall hearing it repeated endlessly when describing the morning of September 11, 2001. I distinctly remember the thought crossed my own mind when I was walking the streets of Manhattan that morning on the way to the office. And we all know that day was anything but perfect.
Shifting gears, I believe the expression is discriminatory. I love clouds and believe they bring more character to the sky. I enjoy looking up and seeing the various formations and how they softly shift in the open air. Having a sunroof in my car gives me visual stimulation. The past couple of days I was rolling around with the sunroof open, which is usually unheard of this time of year in the DC area. So, I decided to do a red light sunroof photo shoot; every time I got caught at a red light I’d look up and snap a shot. Simple. Easy breezy. And actually, kind of perfect to me.
A year ago this weekend my power was out and the DC Metro area, along with a great portion of the east coast, was blanketed with massive amounts of snow.
The unseasonable weather the past few days reached into the 50s and 60s. Yesterday I joined many locals who were taking advantage of the mild temps on the trails in Sligo Creek Park. The route I take ends up being a little over 6 miles. It’s a nostalgia walk because I find myself on the same path near the same wooded area my brothers and I played in as children. I vividly recall walking through these huge water tunnels that run underneath the main road so we could get to the other side sans traffic.
I love nature walks. I love the neighborly nod exchange that happens. The nod may not always be reciprocated, but I dish it out regardless because that’s just how I roll. I love seeing what appears to be Stand By Me adventures among the pack of friends I pass along the way.
Before merging onto the trail I encountered one group of boys skate boarding and shooting a hockey puck in a net outside of a house. I wondered if 30 years from now they’d come back to the neighborhood and have the same feeling I do today about playing outside as a child. It’s that carefree sensation and pure pleasure of exploring the outdoors; a sensation I wish could be bottled up and pulled off the shelf whenever you needed a boost. With electronic devises ruling the roost and helicopter parenting I imagine there is a large amount of children these days that have never experienced this. Well, if they can’t go exploring maybe there’s an app for that.
