Boston has experienced more than it’s fair share of trauma lately, and it’s still going on: the Boston Marathon bombing, the Whitey Bulger trial, and earlier this week the horrific murder of 24 year old Amy Lord. The city keeps coming together and we can even see the good in people that arises from such tragedies. We wear our Boston Strong and Red Sox t-shirts with pride.
I love taking the T into this full-of-life city and wandering about Copley Square, the Boston Common, Beacon Hill, the Freedom Trail and Quincy Market. Of course I do so during the daytime and although I often go alone, I seek solitude within the crowds. Whenever and wherever I travel, my solitude is not synonymous with being all by myself.
All of us, but particularly women, need to be alert and thoughtful about our solitude. How sad it is to realize that good intentions are not enough. Striving for silence, solitude and simplicity may feel spiritual, healthy, sacred, generous, you name it, and it often is, but it doesn’t protect me from danger. When I am at the cottage I lock the doors and keep my cell phone with me; when I travel I keep my wallet close to my body; when I walk I am out in the open in public places.
We all have our special ways of staying alert to danger and physical mishap. This week it has been suggested that the women in Boston remove their earphones, turn off their iPods and pay attention to the present moment and their immediate surroundings. Um, I like it.
I love taking the T into this full-of-life city and wandering about Copley Square, the Boston Common, Beacon Hill, the Freedom Trail and Quincy Market. Of course I do so during the daytime and although I often go alone, I seek solitude within the crowds. Whenever and wherever I travel, my solitude is not synonymous with being all by myself.
All of us, but particularly women, need to be alert and thoughtful about our solitude. How sad it is to realize that good intentions are not enough. Striving for silence, solitude and simplicity may feel spiritual, healthy, sacred, generous, you name it, and it often is, but it doesn’t protect me from danger. When I am at the cottage I lock the doors and keep my cell phone with me; when I travel I keep my wallet close to my body; when I walk I am out in the open in public places.
We all have our special ways of staying alert to danger and physical mishap. This week it has been suggested that the women in Boston remove their earphones, turn off their iPods and pay attention to the present moment and their immediate surroundings. Um, I like it.