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More about SF: the other Golden Gate

Yesterday I was remembering Golden Gate Park, but today’s photo is about memories of the 50th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Yes, indeed! I was one of the hundreds of thousands of people walking on the bridge that day. But, no, we didn’t make it all the way across.

It’s hard to believe, but the organizers didn’t have the imagination to picture what would happen if people poured onto the bridge from both the north and the south without having designated north/south lanes.

In all fairness, they evidently also lacked the imagination to anticipate the vast numbers of people who would come out to participate in the event. According to the news video below, they expected 18,000-20,000 people to come out, but there were 300,000 instead.

(There were 300,000 on the bridge at the same time; they estimate that 800,000 pedestrians spent on the bridge before it was all over.)

The end result was the most amazing gridlock you can imagine, with more and more people entering from both sides even after there was no more room to maneuver in the center. I can’t recall just how many hours we were out there, but it was definitely the closest I’ve ever come to hysteria in my life.

Being short, I couldn’t see over all the people around me, which made me feel very claustrophobic. A few people fainted and were removed by being passed along over the top of the crowd.

Of course, this was before cell phones, so we were just out there — not knowing exactly what was going on or what (if anything) was being done about it. I would feel the anxiety and agitation of the crowd gradually inching up to something close to panic, but then someone would call out a joke or some sort of reassuring words. I don’t remember exact words, but it would be enough to make people laugh and connect and bring the anxiety level down a few notches.

In fact, I agree with what someone shared in the video comments: “i was there, i was stuck in the middle. it was scary AF in the gridlock, but i’ll say one thing, it was all love. there was no violence, people helped each other out.”

It was definitely a beautiful San Francisco moment.

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My city, my park

Wow. This photo really strikes a chord in me.

San Francisco was one of my first loves. I remember a field trip to the City in third grade — I was sooooo excited! We were going to see boats, and in preparation we made drawings of boats on blue construction paper using red, white, and black chalk.

It was sooooo cool.

Although born in San Francisco, I grew up in the South Bay — an hour away. But once I graduated from high school I gradually moved north until I finally became a resident while attending San Francisco State University.

I had arrived.

I lived in San Francisco — Parkmerced; the Richmond; Inner Sunset; outer Sunset; and back to Parkmerced — for over twenty years and loved it.

I spent hours and hours at the ocean and circling Lake Merced. I walked all over — literally. I learned to drop everything when the weather was perfect (because it wouldn’t necessarily stay that way for long; great training for living in the moment).

I read Herb Caen’s column every day. I learned to drink strong coffee and ate lots of Chinese food. I thrilled to the sound of the fog horns from my home at 30th and Geary. I loved the fog, period. I worked at the Cliff House and the Sutro Bath ruins were my home away from home.

And Golden Gate Park was like my own personal backyard. God, I loved it so much, spending hours and hours on the trails; walking from the panhandle to the ocean; learning all the nooks and crannies in between — the lakes, the creeks, the meadows, the touristy places and the private spots.

Amazing how all these memories came flooding back as I looked at this photo.

My karma with San Francisco finally came to an end and it was time to be elsewhere. I haven’t lived there since 1999 and don’t even visit very often.

But the love still remains. It will always be my city and my park.

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Remembering when

Looking at this photo feels like a glimpse into another lifetime.

So, yeah… 50 year high school reunion is almost here!

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Relaxed Sunday breakfast

We had every intention of attending Sunday service this morning.

But it was a lovely day; our patio garden is really coming together; and neither of us could remember the last time we spent such a relaxed morning together on a Sunday.

It was blissful.

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Play days – 2 in a row!

“DO NOT SCHEDULE ANYTHING (S.T.O.)!

This is what we wrote in our calendar for today and tomorrow (by the way, S.T.O. = Sacred Time Off).

We’ve been really (and I do mean really) looking forward to this, to the point where we had to laugh at ourselves for being sooo excited about (drum roll, please!) — a weekend!

But the reality is that working for a church means you rarely have a leisurely Sunday morning off. And our Saturdays are often filled with retreats or special events or — most recently — recording sessions.

Monday is our official “day off,” but that’s also when we drive to town and run errands, though we do try to carve out time together over coffee or a meal.

So, yeah. This is exciting!

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Of butterflies and spiders

The stock photo above represents the vision I have for my butterfly bush — big blossoms covered with beautiful butterflies!

In reality my bush has been slow to flower and I haven’t seen much in the way of butterflies (as in none, although bumblebees are regular visitors to other flowers in my container garden).

So, I was thrilled the other morning to notice a butterfly on my butterfly bush!

Until I realized that the reason I could get so close without it flying away is that the butterfly had been captured by a spider and was already a goner.

Oh well, I guess spiders have to eat, too.

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A timely reminder

I was out for my morning walk, glanced up at this tree, and came to an abrupt stop.

After all, it’s the height of summer, with temperatures once again approaching triple digits. And yet, there it was — a reminder that summer really doesn’t last forever.

And neither does anything else on this physical plane.

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A really sweet & blessed moment

I had kind of a rushed morning, so when I got to the office I felt the need to sit quietly for a few minutes in meditation.

By the time I finished my screensaver had kicked in…and these were the photos that greeted me — all in a row — when I opened my eyes.

I felt Master’s and Swamiji’s loving presence so strong in that moment.

And what a blessed moment it was.

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This made me laugh

I hope it gives you some chuckles as well, because that’s all I’ve got tonight (in the interest of achieving an early bedtime).

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Wise counsel for times like these

Tricia Robinson Art

I did a quick share of this on Facebook this morning, but seeing as how it remained in my mind and on my heart throughout the day, I realized I had more to say about it.

First of all, I’ve been loving the poems of John Roedel since I discovered him during the pandemic. His words have touched me deeply over the years, and today’s poem was no different.

I’ve been reflecting on how this poem has a very “both/and” perspective — something that is so lacking in the world right now. The ability to acknowledge how things are, but at the same time, refusing to let the craziness overwhelm us or cast us down into despair. It’s definitely a delicate balancing act.

Anyway, the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that — in times like these — being kind and gentle, and going easy on ourselves and others, is a powerful and radical act.

Enjoy the poem.

there’s no handbook
for any of this

there are no hard and
fast rules for times
like these

~ you’re doing the best you can

holding things together
while the world falls apart

in this age of fear and fret
you don’t need to be perfect;
you just need to be gentle

~ with yourself and everyone else

because that’s all you
can really control, isn’t it?

yes, things might unravel a
bit more before this is
all done

~you might come undone as well

and it’s okay if
you do

because

while the world
is resetting
it’s router

we can take turns
deciding who gets
to cry on the couch

we can take turns becoming
a balm for one another

we can take turns yelling
up into the silent sky

we can take turns
having insomnia

we can take turns being
confessionals for one another

we can take turns brushing
the tears off of each other’s face

we can take turns inviting
the butterflies to swarm us

my love,

don’t worry about getting
all of this right

you won’t

don’t worry about making
mistakes

you will

~ you’re doing the best you can

and
remember

there is only one great commandment for
enduring a year like this one

~ and that commandment is this:

go easy,
my love,
go easy

~ john roedel
(art by the wonderful Tricia Robinson Art)