On Friday I predicted more couch time than is customary for a weekend and I also noted I’d be flipping and rotating the cushions to keep the sofa in check. I also mentioned life feeling a bit more like undertows and rip currents than anything else of late but that all is a-ok here. Then the weekend unfolded a bit differently than I anticipated, as weekends so often do, and I come to you this Monday morning from an unexpected angle. Yeah I did flip and rotate the cushions. But I also had plenty of time for other things, which gave me time to make other considerations. Like about my riptide metaphor…notably that my ebbs and flows are different from other people’s…and a few things this weekend reminded me that while my seas might be rough, at the very same time the tide is turning favorably for people I love…big reminder that overall and in the aggregate, it balances out…the trick is in keeping your head above water in the interim.
Friday was great—lunch with a friend (planned) followed by beers with a friend (spontaneous) followed by pizzas and hoops watching at my sister’s (spontaneous). We four always have a great time and the Alumni pizza (which is inconsistent) was 🔥. I Saturday was chill during the day but then we took Kerri’s Auntie Moe to Grill 151 for an 82nd birthday dinner—so fun. Sunday saw me taking advantage of the sunny skies and warm temps, enjoying a long walk before I went back to my sister’s to watch the two men’s games and enjoy a dinner of sis’s could-be-award-winning ribs. (I hope she flips and rotates her cushions.)
A little about my walk. The roots of this writing (the “pedestrian” part of the title) are found in my walking. Honestly, when I walk it’s probably 97% for mental health and 3% for physical health. I see things more clearly, breathe more deeply, and can feel the clutter in my brain sorting itself out into slightly neater piles. So yesterday after reading this opinion piece by brat-packer-turned-perambulator-turned-author Andrew McCarthy I set out on my fave 5-miler from the house, the one that takes me through Great Esker Park. The ocean has its own special healing powers and I hadn’t been there for a while. I was anxious to see what signs of Spring might have sprung because I like to make mental notes of how the change of the seasons manifests there. My favorite spot on the walk is a little side out-and-back that takes me to the point where, essentially, the river meets the sea. So it always looks a little different, there’s always a sense of motion, and you know the direction of said motion is always in flux. There’s something about it…I like to take a few deep breaths, take it all in, and often snap a pic or two before getting back to it. I like the way everything comes together and drifts apart in the same space.
It’s also kind of hilly (I guess that’s the nature of an esker) and yesterday there were a couple of kids on bikes working really hard (like one-of-them-was-crying hard) on the uphills and then really seeming to enjoy the downhills. In life I feel like experience and internalize the pain of the uphills and pay far more attention in general to that than we do to the enjoyment of the downhills. Note to self: enjoy the downhills!
I wore basketball sneakers all weekend, favoring my Air Jordans for the most part, though I had to bust out some old black and red Chucks in support of SDSU on Sunday…the Aztecs were Kerri’s gutsy survivor pool pick, so I had to pull out all the stops. And I’m not gonna say the shoes are lucky but…when in doubt, represent…dress for the occasion. Because SDSU pulled it out and when the day’s games were done, Kerri was guaranteed at least a third-place pool finish. I like to think there’s beauties had a hand in it.
Other than UConn-Gonzaga, the games were a great watch. On the women’s side, I admit that I rooted against UConn—maybe it’s bad karma but there’s just something about Geno that rubs me the wrong way. While the women’s bracket has had some small surprises, the men’s side is the one that really defies explanation this year. Such a random Final Four!
Beyond basketball, I listened to the Bruins win when I walked on Saturday. I had planned to go to the gym that morning but my sleep schedule has other plans. I love listening to games thanks to Papa, who always had a transistor radio tuned in, even if the game was on TV. The game itself was great, but it was an ad I heard that really stuck with me. As if you need another reason to love OOFOS…they donate $10 for every Bruins save made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, up to $25K…and to date through their Project Pink initiative they have donated over $3M to eradicating this insidious f-cker of a disease. Buy some OOFOS. And go Bs. (Helps that we have the best goalie tandem in the NFL!)
So yeah, it was a very sporty weekend, though I drew the line at driving out to East Bumf-ck to watch Kerri’s hockey game last night. Even I have limits.
Other picked up pieces since we last were together:
Seriously, as if the Trump rally being in Waco during the Branch Dravidian siege anniversary wasn’t tasteless enough, he had to play insurrection video as his “walk-up song.” I really like to think he’s not the best Republican candidate we can put forth. I like to think we can do better. How can anyone support this guy with even a hint of a clear conscience?
Sunday Today with Willie Geist featured this story. Good reminder to take someone aside and tell them why they matter to you. Just because.
And here’s a little something else to make you smile to start your week, just because. (Unless you didn’t watch Schitt’s Creek, in which case you won’t be able to appreciate one of the happiest scenes ever shown on tv. That’s on you.)
And before I go, I owe you the Monday Maiku:
Flip, rotate, repeat. Not just about the cushions. Give life a refresh.
It hit me as I was flipping and rotating the cushions that we need to flip and rotate ourselves for essentially the same reasons…to prolong our longevity and our general comfort.
And as I heard this song while I was out walking, I re-realized/re-remembered that when we indulge our inner peace and travel “home” (wherever and whatever that is), it doesn't make us selfish…it makes us happy.
And yeah you know me and cover songs so I’m gonna give you another great cover of it and the original, just for fun. (Keep in mind that Cover Girl by Shawn Colvin is one of the best albums ever…nothing further.)
And while I’m at it…(I know…country)…here’s another newly released cover of an all-time great song:
Been a weekend of sports and music, what can I say?
Thanks for being here, thanks for your consistent attention and support, thanks for your friendship…sincerest thanks for all of it. Have a great week.
Love you too.
Best scene in all 6 seasons of Shits Creek! 🎶🎵🎶