I went for an easy run this past Sunday, starting off at the baseball fields in Red Hook, through the streets with all the new construction, passed the brunch lines, the apothecary, the building with the bejeweled metal horse and equally bedazzled metal dinosaur, all the way down to the water’s edge, behind the warehouses and other industrial buildings, pushing further still, until the esplanade ends and one has no choice, but to turn around and retrace your steps.
Here’s what I saw:
A clementine peel
Box trucks and flatbeds
Charging station benches with empty liquor bottles
A single black dress shoe
A blue and white sign that said ZERO WORRIES
Rows upon rows of impounded motorcycles and scooters
A flattened rat’s carcass made stiff from the sun
A tweed-covered love seat with foam and springs exposed
Purple lace underwear
A graving dock (a place for ships undergoing extensive repair)
Some might say indicia of the shadow side of society
All laid bare in an early March sun
Amidst these things
Geese landing on water
A man in deep contemplation with chin rested on hand
IKEA
A trio of European Starlings fluffing their feathers in the grass
A pesky Northern Mockingbird
A flock of gulls
Ducks splashing in the Gowanus
It was a scene of contrasts
Of commerce and progress
Alongside waste and detritus
And nature continuing as nature does
It was a reminder that life is made up of the good, the bad, the grimy, the sublime, and everything in between.
That everything is contained in a larger whole.
Even the sun-dried carcass, which I could have done without.
Everything belongs.
/…/…/|
I’m curious, what have you encountered on a run or walk that has given you pause? I would love to hear your story. Please do share in the comments below.
Here’s to a brilliant week.
Much love, Tamara
I felt like I was running beside you.
As I sit in a Uber in Miami rush hour traffic reading this I look around & see planes landing, planes taking off , cars, cars, cars everywhere, slow moving but intense busyness. And then there’s the sky, quiet & calm.
I love these weekly ponders. Thank you for sharing 🦋
I hope never to get so caught up in the dreary things of this world that I overlook the blessings - admiring the rainbow, instead of complaining about the rainstorm.