I was excited for the announced warm weekend, so all through the end of the working week, my head was a-buzz with potential plans for how to spend it. I recognized in myself a profound longing to go away. To be away. Nameless. Wanderer, for a while.
I still do, but the weekend was a brief, limited time window, and no destination I could think of was financially accessible or warm enough. And since the whole point was to enjoy the return of warmth after winter, I settled on the best away, but still here option available.
In more recent years, christened King Mihai I Park, after our late king who was brought down and exiled by communists, Herastrau is probably the largest park in my own native Bucharest. And being quite far away from where I live, it's seldom an actual destination. Even yesterday, I almost gave up halfway down the line, and settled for a different park in the city, as it would've been somewhat closer.
But my mind was made up. I wanted to go far enough from my home that I would feel I'd stepped out of my range. This other, Plan B park, I've been to quite a few times over the last few years. Herastrau, not so much. So I pushed through, and thanks to low weekend traffic, I was there in about half an hour.
On 15-Minute Cities
Much fuss was made (quite rightly so) about the proposed 15-minute city project last year. You know, the initiative to confine citizens to a very narrow strip of land by ensuring they had "everything they needed" (i.e. groceries, medical care, office, etc.) within a 15-minute journey's radius.
Now, for some reason or another, the whole concept seems to have vanished from the public eye (at least). Personally, much as I abhorred the idea, I always thought that most of us exist within our own 15-minute cities already quite voluntarily. If you consider your day-to-day comings and goings, you probably rely on the closest supermarket, closest mall, closest hospital etc., already. If you're to take a walk, many of us will take a walk in their own neighborhood, writing others off as "too much hassle".
So, I stepped out of my self-imposed 15-minute city for the day, as it were. And it was something of a revelation.
For a second, ever since I stepped off the subway, I felt as if I was in a different city. I looked at the fancy cafes that lined the sidewalk the same way I might ogle street cafes in Paris or Milan. A sort of "ooh" feeling replaced the vague tedium of passing the same hangouts and layouts you pass every day.
Don't get me wrong, I live quite near a lovely, residential area full of cozy cafes and I'd take those over these luxurious ones any day, but I know them. I'm accustomed to them. They hold no mystery to me. These, however...
Green and pleasant
Pretty soon, I was inside the park itself. Now, the reason I'd picked Herastrau, other than the distance was the green expanse. Being such a huge park means there are a lot of green areas, and I didn't hesitate breaking from the herd and heading down a pathway through the green. Reveling in the feel of earth under my feet. Finally.
With temperatures nearing 30C yesterday, the park was understandably packed. Which might've been a turn-off in smaller parks,but here, say, it was tolerable. Or perhaps it was just the joy of a sunny, truly beautiful day that made up for it.
Making my way through busking musicians, screeching children and muttering old men, I considered stopping on a sun-lit bench several times. Alas, that didn't fit the image, the way I pictured the afternoon. And so, I continued picking my way through the park, stopping to admire the flowers and smile at nature. Blossoming. Being reborn. Reminding us it's possible.
In the end, I made my way down to the part of nature I like best...
The Lake
I've been feeling quite introspective these past few days, so yesterday, I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful day, sit by the water and do some journaling. I'd packed my thermos with strong coffee, and brought along some delicious pistachio biscuits in case I wanted a treat. And as soon as I found a cozy spot in the grass, I was ready to go.
Seeing as I write so much, you'd think journaling and I would be natural allies. And it's perhaps my love for writing that's always made journaling difficult for me. Writing already so much, putting myself so out there as a job and a hobby, I'm rarely called to sit down and write down more of my thoughts. Naturally, I recognize the cathartic powers of writing, but mostly, I channel those writings towards pieces here and on Medium.
Yesterday, though, as if not to ruin my sunny day plan, the thoughts flowed smooth and honest. I felt myself grow lighter with each page I filled, taking in the stillness of water whenever I felt at a loss. I've often found great comfort in the water, which is no doubt why I knew that by the water was the only place to "get into it".
The Long Way Back
After about an hour or so of writing, I decided to pack it in, and began circling the water, moving towards the other end of the park. Now, to circle the lake at Herastrau in full would take hours, so I only covered about a third/half before exiting the park.
I won't say journaling brought up some thoughts, because I know they were already there, but the simple act of sitting down and honestly, un-judgmentally looking at my thoughts and emotions allowed me to access those nagging ideas more openly.
And whenever I need to think, the best thing to do is walk. I walked off into the sunset, slowly trailing my way back through the city. Thinking. Weighing emotions and ideas against the backdrop of sun. I felt content. And unafraid to hold my own thoughts.
Touching the earth left me feeling grounded.
Sitting by the water left me feeling still.
Journeying to the other end of the city took me out of my comfort zone just enough.
Through all this, I think I proved to myself I could step a little further than I normally would, and still find my way back. Still held by the sun.
