Another walk in the park with family Spodek Method commitment
I posted last month about a Spodek Method commitment to walk in a park with my sister in Queens based on walking in the park with my dad. Yesterday, I walked in the same park I did with my dad, this time with my other sister, plus her husband and son, my brother-in-law and nephew.
To refresh your memory, that post, Another Spodek Method commitment: a walk in the park with family, began:
I’ve done a lot of Spodek Method commitments. I’ve loved them all, at least I don’t remember disliking any, but haven’t recorded many of them here, but liked posting My Spodek Method commitment to make water ice from snow: A photo essay last month. I did another one over the weekend and took a few pictures to share.
The memories of nature stemmed from Wissahickon Creek and the park around it near where I grew up. Here are pictures of part of that park though also a story of being mugged there (incident #2) and a bike stolen.
I remembered a conversation with my dad walking along the creek. Most of my conversations with him didn’t go well, at least since high school in the 1980s, but this one that I recalled went great, a few years before he died, so maybe eight or ten years ago. I attributed the conversation going well to walking in nature.
Yesterday’s walk was lovely. It was colder than we expected so had to bundle more than we expected to, though took layers off on the way back, which was uphill. For me, Wissahickon Creek epitomizes nature, so I love walking there. We had spent the few hours earlier meeting indoors with my mom and stepfather. Outside felt less cramped, even despite the cold and that it was overcast.
Inside, everyone shared about what they were doing, but nobody asked others what they were doing. I was glad to see everyone, but it felt like what I described in December in Family, flying, and Facebook-like visits, although then I was talking about other people’s families, or Americans’ in general:
People are talking about flying to visit family these days. There’s a running joke about the weird uncle or someone who is hard to get along with.
I hope you’re having a better time with family than the people I hear about, and they’re not the people I work with who are living more sustainably. I’m talking about mainstream people talking about their usual holiday plans.
Before flying, we used to spend time with family. Now our visits are more like Facebook interactions. We have come to see family members as problems. We only see them a few hours a year.
We used to solve problems together. Now we cover up differences, biding time until we part and don’t have to deal with them. We’ve lost the ability to handle difficult relationships and learn that managing conflict and resolving difference can bring us closer and deepen relationships.
Outside, we talked more freely. Actually, the others spoke a lot more. I walked behind more, but my sister and I got to visit some. As with my other sister, we didn’t talk about important things, just what came up.
Here are pictures of the walk. The end of winter before the green buds and shoots come out amid an overcast sky may be the most stark, least verdant time of the year, but I find it incredibly beautiful and tranquil.
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