It was a beautiful sunny day and I spent as much of it outdoors as I could. Otis and I started the day with a walk to China Beach. We saw a group of women finishing up their early morning dip, that reminded me of my experience with Mary and her friends in Wellington Harbor.
I took advantage of this time in the city to go to the San Francisco Botanical and the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park. Both have free entry times in the morning several times a week. The Botanic Gardens was fantastic. I had a wander through the many paved and unpaved paths that looped through different types of forests. I particularly liked how the unpaved paths varied – dirt, gravel, wood chips, paving stones through grass. There are benches everywhere in quiet, private spots for contemplation. It’s a huge space so I always felt like I had room to myself. There’s a whole section of New Zealand flora, which is pretty amazing considering other sections are devoted to all of Asia, Australia or California natives. I spent time in the ancient forest section that had some huge ponga trees like the ones that grow all over New Zealand. I’m always captivated by the curled up fronds.
I headed across the street to the Japanese Tea Garden and had the polar opposite experience. It’s a much smaller space, and very popular place. The later opening time for free visits meant that it was swarming with people, there were huge groups of tourists and school kids. It was completely overwhelming and disappointing, as I was really looking forward to a calm, contemplative spot. I walked some of the back paths, hoping I could find a quiet place, but to no avail. I found an unoccupied bench facing the pagoda area that’s currently being redesigned so I sat for a while to figure out my next steps. I decided since I was already I’d check out the rest of the gardens. Once I let go of my need for solitude I was able to enjoy the views. The cherry blossom trees are starting to bloom, which I’m sure added to the crowds of people. I heard joyful laughter and exclamations from groups as they went over the arched drum bridge and had their pictures taken. A man was painting a sketch of one of the waterfalls. I will go back another time to sit on the deck of the tea house and enjoy tea and snacks.
When I walked by the deYoung museum, the palm trees out front were casting gorgeous shadows on the building. I also passed a couple of women walking with their preteen sons. The moms look like they were ready for the snow, and the boys looked like they were headed to the beach!
I did quite a bit of work editing my gap year guide today. I was going over a section where I had been writing out my experience with going back to full-time work and how I was feeling during that transition. It’s so good to look back on it now, reading about the stress and worry I was going through and realize how quickly I was able to move through that and into a feeling of competence in what I was doing. One of the unexpected benefits of writing this book has been seeing how I have changed and grown over this time. I get a clearer view of the path that brought me where I am now and can see the cycles of ups and downs, the challenges I’ve faced and overcome and the ones I am still struggling with, as well as the things that have come easily.
I learned about the idea of joy spotting, which I absolutely love. It reminds me of Ross Gay and his Book of Delights. To me, joy spotting seems like an amped up version of a gratitude journal. I found a list of different ways to spot joy, most of them very simple like observing what you see, hear, smell, taste and touch, it’s really about being aware of all the amazing things around you.
I spent a good part of the afternoon sitting in the backyard in the sunshine, reading and writing. It was a very calm, happy contemplative day.
Before dinner Otis and I walked down to the gun battery near Baker Beach. I loved looking at the old metal doors – they have so much character and wear from decades by the ocean. What must it have been like to see those huge guns on the beach, trained and ready for attack? Thank goodness they never had to be used.
