As a (recently) proud Southern girl living in Boston I the mighty one have been humbled. I moved to Boston in August of 2008 and despite my big bad Southern self (and Boston's extensive public transportation system) I only rode the "T" to class and back. Only the train (no buses) and only for 8 stops (to campus). I had a car and didn't feel the need to use the T unless I was going to campus where I would have driven if only parking wasn't so dreadful.
10:49 am October 13, 2009 all that changed. It was a dreadfully cold rainy morning and I was in the car headed to field placement trying to get myself centered for supervision by taking a sip of tea from my travel mug. Bringing the mug to my lips, I see a Comcast cable truck stopped just ahead of me. I prepare to brake but my foot slips (due to my dope assed rainboots having a slippery sole) everything went "crash, bang, boom" and I end up being "carless". I figured that I would just get my car to a shop and maybe be without it for three or four days. But alas I have been without my beloved Nissan Xterra for a month and six days. After the making peace with the insurance company about my coverage levels and my inability to rent a car due to my out of state license and lack of credit card I launched into a full on panic. How would I get to placement, how would I get groceries, what if the weather was bad....how was I to function??
I tried everything in my power to not take the T. Cabs, hitching rides with friends and coworkers who were going my way etc, until I finally resigned myself to pulling up mbta.com to try to put my life together. I Googled (of course) mapped the route to field placement and found that it was only 1.5 miles away from my house but that 1.5 miles translated into a 59 minute train ride or a 12 minute walk to a bus stop to ride two stops and then walk another 15 mins. So both modes of transit were out of the question. I decided I would walk to my placement.
Day 1: My out of shape ass huffed and puffed my way to BCMC up a HUGE hill arriving sweaty and more than a little frustrated,
Day 2: repeat day 1
Day 3: huffing and puffing but thinking "Damn that's a really cool looking bush. I should take a picture."
Day 4: less huffing and puffing more really cool looking bushes, trees, flowers. etc.
Day 5: no huffing some puffing and thinking "I swear I never noticed trees here in Boston"
So I made camera phone picture taking part of my practice of mindfulness to stop and....well...take pictures of trees and leaves and all kinds of stuff no matter where I was going, how late I was running or what I had going through my head...I took pictures. There were so many vivid colors and configurations I was constantly blown away.
I'm not claiming to be Ansel Adams I just wanted to document the beautiful fall that I surely would have missed had I been stuck behind the wheel of my car.
Side note: I now have a relatively unflappable knowledge of the Green lines and Bus 66 and 57. :) I'm proud of myself for making do out of don't and can out of can't...
Peace
}i{
10:49 am October 13, 2009 all that changed. It was a dreadfully cold rainy morning and I was in the car headed to field placement trying to get myself centered for supervision by taking a sip of tea from my travel mug. Bringing the mug to my lips, I see a Comcast cable truck stopped just ahead of me. I prepare to brake but my foot slips (due to my dope assed rainboots having a slippery sole) everything went "crash, bang, boom" and I end up being "carless". I figured that I would just get my car to a shop and maybe be without it for three or four days. But alas I have been without my beloved Nissan Xterra for a month and six days. After the making peace with the insurance company about my coverage levels and my inability to rent a car due to my out of state license and lack of credit card I launched into a full on panic. How would I get to placement, how would I get groceries, what if the weather was bad....how was I to function??
I tried everything in my power to not take the T. Cabs, hitching rides with friends and coworkers who were going my way etc, until I finally resigned myself to pulling up mbta.com to try to put my life together. I Googled (of course) mapped the route to field placement and found that it was only 1.5 miles away from my house but that 1.5 miles translated into a 59 minute train ride or a 12 minute walk to a bus stop to ride two stops and then walk another 15 mins. So both modes of transit were out of the question. I decided I would walk to my placement.
Day 1: My out of shape ass huffed and puffed my way to BCMC up a HUGE hill arriving sweaty and more than a little frustrated,
Day 2: repeat day 1
Day 3: huffing and puffing but thinking "Damn that's a really cool looking bush. I should take a picture."
Day 4: less huffing and puffing more really cool looking bushes, trees, flowers. etc.
Day 5: no huffing some puffing and thinking "I swear I never noticed trees here in Boston"
So I made camera phone picture taking part of my practice of mindfulness to stop and....well...take pictures of trees and leaves and all kinds of stuff no matter where I was going, how late I was running or what I had going through my head...I took pictures. There were so many vivid colors and configurations I was constantly blown away.
I'm not claiming to be Ansel Adams I just wanted to document the beautiful fall that I surely would have missed had I been stuck behind the wheel of my car.
Side note: I now have a relatively unflappable knowledge of the Green lines and Bus 66 and 57. :) I'm proud of myself for making do out of don't and can out of can't...
Peace
}i{
I love picture number 5!
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