It seems like forever ago that my dad used to take me to the Croton Dam and to Teatown Lake every weekend. I have a lot of fond memories of these places, and its always a reminder of my childhood and all that entails. Including, but not limited to, the fact that I used to have tiny legs. I used to always lag behind my father. I was 5 years old, probably under four feet tall, and my dad was in his fifties and six and a half feet tall. I didn’t stand a chance.
I went through a phase where I had no desire to go hiking and get outside. That ended my senior year at Walkabout. Now I try to get out anytime I can. Espescially now that I’m living in Brooklyn and its not as easy to get out there, but its all the more necessary. It’s a rare thing to be in any of the five boroughs and not be crammed in with at least a dozen other people, let alone not see anyone for a few hours.
I found myself in Westchester with my girlfriend today, and we had some time to kill. Nature isn’t really her thing, but she seemed to enjoy herself a lot. I love showing these places to the people that I care about that would otherwise not have seen them. I guess I feel its important to share the gift that my father gave to me at such a young age. Now more than ever I think we need to take the time to get away from it all. We’re so absorbed with our jobs, our phones, our twitter feeds, etc, that sometimes we just have to unplug and appreciate the forest for the trees.