For about 5 years I lived in the East Bay. Yesterday, Hal and I took our favorite walk along the Bay with our dog Magic. It brought back so many memories of living there and a lot of nostalgia. We used to walk along this particular trail almost every morning, and I was reminded of a book I wanted to write, but never did, called Morning Walks. I started going through some of my notes for the book, and found this entry. It’s especially relevant because I am working with so many couples who spend so little time together, and I hope this entry will encourage them to look for ways to have some special time every day to connect and to be intimate. It wouldn’t have to be a walk, nor would it have to be an hour each day, but it could be a special time (even 10 minutes would help) where there were no distractions allowed and the purpose would be to share some quality time without dealing with logistics of life or without fighting. When I say no distractions allowed, I mean that the phone goes unanswered, the TV is off, and the kids are trained to give Mom and Dad some space. It can be done, believe me, if you want to make it happen. So come along with us on our morning walk that we took in April of 2002 so you can experience the possibilities and decide if special time would add to your life.
This morning the four of us, Hal, me and the two dogs, head out on our usual route, past the tennis courts, down the walkway to The Bay Trail along San Francisco Bay. It’s early, so the roller bladers and families on bicycles are still in bed. The ceonothus are just past the height of their bloom, but we can still smell the sweet fragrance of lilac emanating from bushes covered in purple flowers. As we get closer to the Bay, the ice plant greets us, complete with blooms about to open, and other plants, whose names are unfamiliar, accent our path with colors of pink and yellow and violet. The tide is out and ducks and birds abound, but to know their names, I’d have to walk with my son. He’d tell me what they are called, how they mate, where they migrate and even imitate their calls. Wish he wasn’t so far away so we could take the occasional walk together.
We pass an occasional jogger or walker, but mostly, the Bay is ours for the next hour. Berkeley and Oakland are at our backs as soon as we turn the corner onto the Bay Trail. San Francisco’s familiar skyline looms in the distance, (more…)