The first half of my son’s Spring Break last week was pretty terrible. It wasn’t constant fighting but the fights we got in to were pretty intense (for our family) and I was afraid the entirety of his break was going to be a bad one. Thankfully, the second half of the week was managed well, and was capped off by a lovely weekend that reset all our spirits.
On Saturday we took a family trip into the city for Japan Festival Boston. My wife is very much into Japanese culture so I was excited to bring her there. What we weren’t prepared for was the crowd. Boston Common was jam-packed with people either there for the festival itself or curious folks wandering around. A sincere effort was made to enjoy it and find friends, but my wife was swiftly overwhelmed and we took refuge in the neighboring Boston Public Garden. It was much quieter there. We looked at flowers and squealed at swimming ducklings. I visited a weeping willow tree that meant a lot to me. It wasn’t what we originally went into the city for, but it turned out to be a nice time.
On Sunday we took a family trip in the opposite direction towards Worcester for the New England Veg Fest. It was exactly what I wanted it to be, and more. This summer will be my thirtieth anniversary of going vegan, so these gatherings mean increasingly more to me as the milestone comes ever closer. On top of that, a number of vendors we’ve befriended from The Vegan Market events were going to be in attendance. We hadn’t seen them in a few months since the Market was put up for sale, so the trip became a sort of reunion. “Hey, it’s so good to see you guys again!” and “Oh my gosh, I’ve missed you!” were remarks our vendor friends were saying to us when we came up to their tables. The sincerity and warmth in their words were a perfect end to the weekend.
But now we’re back in the school routine, thank goodness. My son went back yesterday and my wife was in the office so I had the house all to myself for the first time in days. I didn’t do a damn thing. It was the perfect start to the week.