Good List Week 10
Birthday hike and swim
Last year, I had planned to host friends at a nearby park for an outdoor picnic on my birthday. Due to rain, the party moved indoors to my apartment, where we crowded around the living room and played pictionary. This year, I wanted to up the ante; I jokingly said I wanted a birthday that folks would remember. I think I accomplished that with a hike and swim at Harriman State Park. We roughly followed this Pine Meadow Lake trail, making an extra stop at Lake Wanoksink first, before making camp at Pine Meadow Lake. When we arrived, we were warned of a giant snapping turtle in the water; some folks (me included) stayed at the water's edge, while others merrily swam out. Some folks napped and sunned, while others munched away at their trail mix and snacks.
By the time we got back, and made it to the restaurant (Characters in Sloatsburg - great stopover for traditional American fare), we were all exhausted, thirsty and starving. Massive plates of food were consumed, or attempted to be consumed. The drive home was peaceful and quiet on the Jersey Turnpike, as we let the accomplishment sink in and our bodies rest.
I personally had a positive but challenging time. Last year as this year, I found myself focused on everyone but myself, are they having a good time, do they have enough food and water, is everyone comfortable and socializing. All the same, progress is progress, and my shoulders were elevated but not nearly as high this time as last. I found myself also once again overwhelmed by how many people showed up, there were 14 of us all together, just an incredible display of love and connection that I cherish.
While some of us doubted, the turtle turned out to be very real, and very large.
Comedy show
I love live performances and theater, and I love comedy, so when my stand-up comic friend invited me to her show I jumped at the chance. The crowd reminded me of college: loud, boisterous friends leaning over to greet each other; cackling laughs from select audience; my seat neighbor finishing off five cans of beer. The comics were fantastic, all local, really hyperlocal, as the headliner grew up nearby and shared his story of buying condoms for the first time in the same place that he now performed (Lackawanna Plaza used to host a Pathmark supermarket).
Ramapo artist date
For my artist's date this week, I listened to my inner teen and leaned into "expansiveness" in time and space. I realized that I orient my time around responsibilities, and try to compartmentalize play. My inner teen can't settle into a fixed hour of time set aside; he craves long drives to far off places, whole afternoons and evenings without a care in sight. I recalled that as a teenager I liked to write sappy poetry - as cringe as it is now, I'm going to link to my teenage poetry blog. I had a desire to revisit Ramapo Valley County Reservation, particularly the waterfall. I stopped at the store and bought myself a little black notebook (yes, an homage to Pink Floyd).
I then took the long drive to Mahwah, listening to The Wall. I hiked up to MacMillan Reservoir, a significantly steeper venture than I had recalled. I was surprised by a frog, and watched a dog playfully splash about in the water. I then hiked down, and stopped where I could sit on a rock in the rushing brook. I breathed in the fresh air, dancing light, and running water. I wrote poetry. Then I hiked down to the waterfall, where I sat in meditative quiet, admiring all the ways the water effortlessly snakes down the rocks.
Side note: the Good List Visualizer has been updated to include these new entries.