The First Paulownia Fruit Ripen
July 22–27, Washington D.C., USA
Seasonal Memoir Entry #16
Zach and I made our college visit pilgrimage this week, and while I can say for certain Zach gave no indication that he is any clearer on where he’ll apply, it was nevertheless a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with our only son.
We started in Gettysburg, giving him a healthy dose of Civil War history. It was fun to watch him interact with the village and its sites. We did a little walking around before getting some sleep at the Brickhouse Inn. The next morning, after declining dessert at breakfast (having already consumed French toast), we headed out the Gettysburg National Military Battlefield. While others chose driving (their own cars or these weird three-wheeled mini-cars), or taking a bus, or a Segway, or even a helicopter, we decided to walk the site (though biking looked cool as well). Exceptionally accessible and well laid out, most of the time we were walking in farmland or along tree-shaded paths and roads, as we went from monument to watchtower to our final attraction: Little Round Top (famously portrayed in the Pulitzer-winning Killer Angels). We ended up walking 8 miles in total.
It was fun to watch our son take it all in, and sharing facts about Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, and others, historical tidbits that even I didn’t know (he’s quite the history buff). Though he took in the gravity of the site as well as any adult would, he was still a kid, asking if it was okay to run through the rows of corn (to see what it was like), or eating grains of wheat directly off the plant. I forgot how expat kids often miss out on these sorts of things growing up.
The drive to Washington was uneventful, and we settled into our Airbnb in the Shaw district, a funky and vibrant neighborhood. Much to Zach’s chagrin, I told him we’d be walking D.C. Thankfully, the weather made it doable, and we covered 12 and 10 miles on our two full days. This allowed us to authentically experience the city (the good and the bad), and notice things we normally wouldn’t notice from a car (such as a large display of naked Barbies and Kens).
Zach wanted to see the big landmarks, so we started with the White House, and then made our way to the Lincoln Memorial (his favorite), then we took a picture of Zach pointing to his grandfather’s war buddy at the Vietnam Memorial, and then it was the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, the US Capitol, the US Supreme Court and Library of Congress, and finally lunch on Capitol Hill. A full day! Zach took the opportunity to fill me in on everything I needed to know about The Walking Dead series, with some random mentions of important Breaking Bad storylines.
The next day brought us to Georgetown for a tour, lunch, and then a slow walk back in the ever-increasing heat and humidity. Good intentions to hit a museum or two fell by the wayside, and we retreated to the Airbnb. Before dinner, we stopped at Second Story Books, a place Zach gleefully declared as “the best bookstore I’ve ever been in!” Priceless.
You couldn’t help to notice wandering around D.C. that there were two different worlds going on: the first being the hip and vibrant scene of Millennials or well-to-do older adults (of all ethnicities, I might add) eating at trendy restaurants or cafes, or just walking around in athleisure. Amidst the million dollar row houses, the second world contained were those who were clearly struggling (predominantly Black, I’m afraid). Many were on the move, but plenty were just sitting there, and several were speaking or shouting at passersby, who ignored them seemingly because they didn’t know what else to do. You couldn’t walk D.C. without coming in contact with this dichotomy. Makes one think about what this says about society, and the way it’s heading.
Essay written while writing this post…
A Standing Ovation for Simone Biles
While I would never revel in the suffering of others, I can’t help but smile inwardly as I admire the courage and strength of Simone Biles in the wake of her decision to withdraw from Olympic competition in order to focus on her mental health. The support she’s getting from contemporaries like Michael Phelps (who has been vocal about the importance of caretaking one’s mental wellness) and former teammate Aly Raisman (who also took an appropriate shot at the US Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics) has drowned out any criticism from yahoos, trollers, or adults who remain out of touch with what’s truly important. Biles’ move is part of a welcomed trend of high-profile athletes, such as Naomi Osaka, who are simply walking away when the lights are the brightest and they are not feeling at their best.
I write from an informed perspective. From 2004–2009, I led a high school in a high-pressure suburb of Boston (which counts Aly Raisman as an alum). After multiple student hospitalizations and a cluster of teenage suicides, the community eventually woke up to the problem of stress (parent, school, self, etc.) and its impact on adolescent mental health, and it rallied to create a first-rate support network for at-risk young people. I turned this experience into a dissertation at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. Since then, primarily through teaching mindfulness-based stress reduction, and in my role as a school leader, I’ve done all I can to promote the concept that Audre Lorde perfectly summarized in her quote, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
It is still taboo to talk openly about and address one’s mental health (something that is relevant to every single one of us), but the tide seems to be turning. I can admire and respect Simone Biles’ athletic prowess, but that admiration turns to veneration and respect turns to reverence when such a degree of courage is on display. She deserves a standing ovation unlike any other she’s earned for this performance.
