Fave, Fave, Fave (A Tardy Post)

Kayaking, art viewing, gardening - these are a few of my favorite things.

[Edited: This very short and underdeveloped draft was begun around September 2019, although the outing described seems to have been in August preceding that. The above tagline was written more or less contemporaneously with publication of this post, long after the title (owning up to the fact that I was already late back then, so what's the harm of tacking on four more years?); knowing myself, the number of "fave"s was intentional, so I spent a bit of time guessing at which ones I intended and experienced during that outing in order to write the tagline. With year-end approaching, the rollout of never-published drafts for the publication queue continues, and this one works as a nice benchmark to compare the state of affairs then, and now, four years later. Comments and insights in hindsight are italicized. PLUS, the planned format of this post works so well with this publication date: 12-31-23, also known as 1-2-3-1-2-3!]

Fave #1: Kayaking - in the city!  And it was free!  And a community educational event to boot.  And not so overly crowded that it was more a pain than it was worth - it was fun, actually, and well worth the trip out that day.

That day being several Saturdays ago, on a warm, [presumably August, height of summer day. The Long Island City Community Boathouse had a walk-up kayaking event, which I had convinced the family to check out with me, in part to scope out that little "beach" as a launch spot. The sibs and I had our turns to be out in their kayaks in the little cove in 30ish minute sessions.

Back then, I was yearning to get back on the water more regularly, wanting the calming feeling of gentle rocking and bobbing, and being away from it all on the water, the very act a victory in carving time for myself and getting closer to the balance I was seeking. That outing set off much rumination and daydreaming about how to get back to our regular family boating routine of the mid-20teens, but with the lure of being so much closer, though still with the challenge of unloading and reloading, and the added difficulty of no parking nearby (an issue I would have been newly acutely aware of, having just gotten off my building's garage wait-list and acquired a new car over which I was protective).

The wheels in my head were turning about various options - whether joining the LICCB could be a way to leave the kayaks; but then what about Papa Rooster's canoe? Where was the clubhouse; it wasn't visible from the cove... And Long Island City, despite being viewing distance from my beloved neighborhood park, was still somewhat far from the Mothership. Still in contention at that time was the purchase of a little cottage somewhere in the country on a body of water - again, to have a place to leave the watercraft in order to get out onto the water quickly and with less labor. What to do, what to do... How to get to that feeling of being waterborne without locking myself into a massive financial and time obligation that would require me to keep running on the hamster wheel, that would ultimately put that balance further out of reach? 

This was the summer after SSSF (formerly known as NF), the ending of which brought into focus my need to plow ahead on my own with The Project before more time was lost, putting me on the path to the following month's prerequisite major medical procedure and subsequent launch of The Project. That, of course, led to its separate but related cycle of contemplating the massive financial/time obligation of a successful outcome, that could have chained me to the hamster wheel, with ever diminishing time for devoting to any successful outcome.

There was a LOT in play that summer.

Fave #2: Art in the city! It turned out that Hallet's Cove, the location of the kayaking event, was only a block or so from the Socrates Sculpture Park, which I had read about and had on my list of places to explore, but which none of us had visited (well, truthfully, art like this just isn't on the radar of the parentals or bro, and unfamiliar venues for it, and exploration, don't always make Sissy's list either). So of course I had to stop in, and dragged the fam. And it was charming, like a small urban Storm King. And the fam ended up enjoying it (as they often do once I've dragged them somewhere new).

Fave #3: Gardening in the city! The grounds of the park were planted...

... A stone patio area was surrounded by trumpet vine, one of my heart's desire plants. (I purchased one some years back to plant up a trellis, but the Jardin just doesn't receive enough sunlight, so I returned it).

... And there was Queen Anne's lace that framed the view back toward home in the loveliest of ways.

So the excursion checked off so many boxes for me.

Fast-forward to 2023:

Fave #1 in comparison: Kayaking... Unbeknownst to me at the time of beginning to draft the paragraph for that first favorite, there was a spot right near the Mothership for kayaking - virtually right under our noses. By August of this year, we had already been out there at least twice that I documented on Instagram, and then there was the infamously funny low tide outing. It has been wonderful, though does sometimes feel like an obligation (Sissy has expressed this) to optimize the investment in the fee - but how much less than a whole other house! Assembling Papa Rooster's canoe with all of its accoutrements is a process that I need to approach more patiently, or figure out a way to streamline. He enjoys it so, though. He already asks about the opening of the new season next April. So we are currently doing much better on this score.

Fave #2 in comparison: Art ... I feel like I have been able to take in more exhibits and shows and cultural offerings than I was able to do four years ago, based on a quick scan of this year's Instagram - which doesn't even capture everything (versus 2019's documented six). The new job has yielded more time and mental space to partake, and corporate memberships just make these experiences more accessible. And friends I have gotten to know better in the time since who are frequent consumers of Broadway and music have expanded my possible companions for these diversions. Assessment: Doing better on the cultural front now than then.

Fave #3 in comparison: Gardening ... Here I feel I have lagged in comparison. The Jardin feels unkempt and out of control, semi-feral. There are unfinished projects and deferred maintenance. I sleep more and later, so the early morning hours are no longer gardening hours, happy hours. In part, it is all the running off on weekends for kayaking, all the making time for cultural offerings, and for volunteer activities. All of that is good. But it is also more social media - this blog and Instagram, for one. And my fitness and cooking and financial monitoring have also suffered. So some tweaking is definitely needed.

Overall, some priorities are definitely more on track and in alignment with my long term intentions from four years ago. Some are a bit off. This post has been a useful exercise in assessing what requires some rejiggering. I and my life are a work in progress.]