on his game days theo and i will usually head downtown and meet him for a post-work and pre-game dinner date.
yesterday it was so nice out that we ate outside on a bench in washington square park.
after we were all played out, we strolled through the park past the very same arch that i walked by for years during my undergrad at NYU.
as we walked, i was struck by how far away that time of my life felt and yet how fresh were some of the memories from those years. like the first day i ever walked through the park on my college audition, feeling so excited and hopeful at the prospect of moving to this city that i already LOVED. then, as a freshman, sitting on a park bench people-watching and feeling very small, yet full of potential to become something big. and the many, many evenings i walked home through the park, watching the dusk turn the sky above the arch to a steel gray – such a beautiful hue when highlighted by the yellow windows in the buildings nearby.
i grew through my years in this park.
and now here i am with my kid!!! and he's sitting in his stroller watching a drummer busk as hoards of people walk by.
i wonder what he thinks of all of these people. does he recognize the arch? or even notice it?
i wonder about how he will grow through his years in this park. will he be a kid who splashes and swims in the fountain? will he be one of the skateboarding teenagers who never wear jackets when it is way too cold for just a t-shirt!? will he be a crooning, guitar-playing busker, stealing the hearts of onlookers?
i will discover the answers to all of these questions – probably all too soon. for now, i'll just sit still in the present and appreciate such a beautiful evening with my family.
ps: topher's team won both games! seems like dinners in the park are good luck.