Clockwise from top left: spring in Boston (x2), pear poached in white wine and cardamom, welcoming the sun back to Boston (x2), Boston Public Garden at sunset.
Clockwise from top left: Kenji Alt-Lopez's low-knead bread (great crumb but I prefer sourdough's flavor), making homemade spaghetti and meatballs for the family, first NJ sunset in a year, Boston at sunrise, Charles River run, studying for the RD exam, walk through Boston Common before clinic, spring!, and reading on the NJ transit for the first time in almost 2 years.
The ideal spring weather tends to last a few days in the Northeast, but my first spring in Boston unfolded slowly. Boy, was that sweet. Though we experienced the classic surprise snow storm and heat wave within a few weeks of one another, flowers seemed to bloom over an extended course of two months and I got to savor a few extra weeks of spring dresses and cozy cardigans before the humidity kicked in.
Spring's pace invited me to choose peace when my instinct was to be on edge, academically and personally, during the final sprint to graduation's finish line. During a season when it wasn't reasonable to carve out dedicated time for play, the tulips along Beacon Street gave me excuses to take 15 minute walks after Saturday clinic, a reason to look up from my book and out the window during my morning commute, and a nudge to finish grading papers at the park.
The other things that kept me at bay:
- snail mail from Brooklyn/Germany/France (check out my t a l e n t e d cousin)
- feeling alive rotating through pediatrics despite the tough things little ones fight
- a 7 mile run to the Esplanade where I met @brianmcw (the virtue of running with a mask: the city of Boston is spared from seeing most of my sweaty, red face)
- a baby shower for a sweet friend
- serving alongside dedicated volunteers
- attending an in-person church service for Easter for the first time in a year
- seeing a young White man help a Chinese man go through the turnstiles with his groceries at the train station
- sustenance: books from the local library and a self-care treat (birthday cake bunny grahams, which are both delicious and fodder for a nutrition series I'd love to tackle and share with you soon)
- sharing an ongoing photo series (The Bostonians) with my camera club (we also have a public exhibit!)
- being able to laugh and cry when catching up with a dear high school friend (the Atlantic Ocean may separate our feet, but never our hearts)
- sweet friends who take care of my parents when I can't
- wrapping up big projects like this
- Phil Wickham on repeat
- and keeping my hands busy in the kitchen with 3 types of chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer (experiment results to come, and there's more I'd love to share!!! You can sense the excitement with all the exclamation marks!)
Life can be heavy... Spring 2021 brought on death, betrayal, and more counts of exhibiting a short temper than I'm inclined to own up to, but it also featured a whole lot of growth and gentle, humbling reminders that I'm a work in progress who's cared for.
What and/or who helps you breathe easier, slows your heart rate?
Click here to view the full photo journal in a pdf.
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