I spent most of last week camped out in my apartment watching Ken Burns' amazing series of our nation's National Parks. I loved learning the history, and the personal stories of individuals who were committed to growing the park service and saving the space from development.I too feel strongly for the need to preserve these magical places. For me, visiting the parks has always been a restorative, even spiritual experience. The parks are a place where I can shut off my mind, gain perspective, and simply be with my natural surroundings. Living in the city, you'll be amazed by how hard this is to do.
This summer Swati and I went and visited Crater Lake in Oregon and Redwoods National Parks in California. It was a second honeymoon for us of sorts, and a trip we desperately needed to take.
Swati's position as a Pro Bono Coordinator was eliminated from her law firm, and now she was spending her days with me in our one bedroom apartment. As I work from home, this was mighty challenging to do. I found my work being putting off. My blog posts reduced to virtually nothing. Instead of enjoying our time together, we sparred regularly. We needed a change.
We decided to get out of the city and head West. We bought a one-way ticket for San Francisco and rented a car that we took up to Seattle, visiting friends and beautiful sites along the way. It was just what we needed. We again found the joy of being together. Our fights at home seemed petty, small. When looking at the larger picture, everything was okay.I think the Redwoods had something to do with that realization. :)
It's been six weeks since we've returned from our trip, and our home situation has improved dramatically. To make things easier for us both, I decided to take a part-time position that I have really been enjoying. I am happy to give Swati some time at home so she can reflect on her next career move.If you missed the series, you can still watch them online until Oct 9. Just visit the official website for the PBS series on National Parks.
