A subway ride down memory lane
I took my family on a tour of Cambridge and downtown Boston today and it brought back many found memories of this summer and the city of Boston. Last summer was so simple: I get up, go to work, come home, rest, work out, and talk on the phone until I can't stay awake anymore and get up to do the same thing the next day. It was so easy, and so sure, and so relaxing. Now as 2006 approaches, life seems anything but easy, sure, and relaxing. I feel like I have a world of opportunity before me, but none of which is really what I want.
But that's a thought for another time and another place, back to Boston. There is something about public transportation that resounds so well in my soul. I love the feeling of being unseen in a sea of people. And rubbing shoulder to shoulder with another person on the street isn't bad either, it makes you feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself. (Here I must soapboax for a moment: I feel like I really don't know a whole of people, myself included, that are living life for something bigger than themselves. Now, I'm not saying that people today are ignoring God or that we do not find God important, but that we get stuck in the little battles of life and forget that there is life and existence outside of our little battles. Why am I not married? How am I going to afford rent next month? What is my purpose in life? All these are significant questions and deserve seeking, but what happened to the bigger picture? What happened to living life for a bigger Something? I feel like we get so caught up in the little battles that we mistake them for the bigger Somethings) Anyways, I really like the subway system in Boston and I really wish Minnesota had a subway system. The lightrail is pretty sweet but it needs to have more intricacy and more jumbleness before I can love it the way I do the Boston T system.
Being back in Boston has reminded me how much the city had grown on me in the three months I was there. A friend from the summer was telling me how he kind of missed Boston and I knew exactly what he meant. There is something comforting about being in a city that you are familiar with, it's like a partial home no matter how far removed you get from the place. Certain sights, smells, and sounds bring up sweet memories and you wish for just a moment that those sweetnesses could be relived or stay for moments longer. When I lived in Boston I was the total anti-tourist. I never bothered to buy any souvenirs except a t-shirt and I totally regret it. Today I was a total tourist. My family and I purchased all the necessary tourist crap: a mug, keychains, magnets...the only thing I missed was the baseball cap, which will have to purchased later this week. I really wish I could rewind the last part of this year. Aside from the winter thing and the "my life seems like a big mess of gray" thing, Boston was fun. I had family here, friends here, and even visitors. AND I HAD THE SUBWAY. All I'm saying is, God speaks through machines and crowds and emptiness. And I swear He does his best talking when I'm on a subway.
But that's a thought for another time and another place, back to Boston. There is something about public transportation that resounds so well in my soul. I love the feeling of being unseen in a sea of people. And rubbing shoulder to shoulder with another person on the street isn't bad either, it makes you feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself. (Here I must soapboax for a moment: I feel like I really don't know a whole of people, myself included, that are living life for something bigger than themselves. Now, I'm not saying that people today are ignoring God or that we do not find God important, but that we get stuck in the little battles of life and forget that there is life and existence outside of our little battles. Why am I not married? How am I going to afford rent next month? What is my purpose in life? All these are significant questions and deserve seeking, but what happened to the bigger picture? What happened to living life for a bigger Something? I feel like we get so caught up in the little battles that we mistake them for the bigger Somethings) Anyways, I really like the subway system in Boston and I really wish Minnesota had a subway system. The lightrail is pretty sweet but it needs to have more intricacy and more jumbleness before I can love it the way I do the Boston T system.
Being back in Boston has reminded me how much the city had grown on me in the three months I was there. A friend from the summer was telling me how he kind of missed Boston and I knew exactly what he meant. There is something comforting about being in a city that you are familiar with, it's like a partial home no matter how far removed you get from the place. Certain sights, smells, and sounds bring up sweet memories and you wish for just a moment that those sweetnesses could be relived or stay for moments longer. When I lived in Boston I was the total anti-tourist. I never bothered to buy any souvenirs except a t-shirt and I totally regret it. Today I was a total tourist. My family and I purchased all the necessary tourist crap: a mug, keychains, magnets...the only thing I missed was the baseball cap, which will have to purchased later this week. I really wish I could rewind the last part of this year. Aside from the winter thing and the "my life seems like a big mess of gray" thing, Boston was fun. I had family here, friends here, and even visitors. AND I HAD THE SUBWAY. All I'm saying is, God speaks through machines and crowds and emptiness. And I swear He does his best talking when I'm on a subway.
posted by chen at 7:16 PM
1 Comments:
That was a beautiful post, Chenny. I really enjoyed it. :)
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