jump right in
I rode my bike through the park a few days ago, something i do quite often, obviously. One of my favorite parts of riding through the park is having a nice, quiet sit-down at the end, to watch the peoples and goings-on. Always seems to be someone there worth watching.
On this day, it was fairly early still, around 8:30 or 9... some of us make our own work hours ;-) An artsy-type, rebel girl rode up on her bike across the pool from me. She was pretty stereotypical in dress and manner : short black pants, Converse sneakers, tight shirt, pasty white skin, black hair, wallet on a long chain. But she was also quite carefree. She rode up on her bike, dropped it on the sidewalk, and then stripped down to her skivvies and jumped in the water. It was the most beautiful thing i've seen in a long time. And i'm not saying that because i'm an exciteable male, but because it was a simple loving of life in the moment. Just not something we get to see very often. I've replayed it in my head many times, just trying to reflect on those little moments. Just before she jumped in, she backed up a bit further and pulled her pony tail out. She was just a bit unsure, but it wasn't about standing there in her green-and-white striped boy briefs, it was about the depth and chill of the water.
I watched her for awhile. She swam, got out and dove back in, floated and chilled. Then a boy showed up that she knew and he stripped off his clothes just before she pushed him in. Whatever cares they may have had were completely absent. I'm not saying all of this out of jealousy, just simple bemusement. I have my own moments like this, but they're usually a bit more private. I'm glad hers wasn't or i would have missed out on a beautiful thing.
(Maybe my 52 in 52 should be stories gathered from the edge of Sycamore pool, rather than places i eat. I think i'm up to 4 now, which is more than i have with the places to eat.)
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On this day, it was fairly early still, around 8:30 or 9... some of us make our own work hours ;-) An artsy-type, rebel girl rode up on her bike across the pool from me. She was pretty stereotypical in dress and manner : short black pants, Converse sneakers, tight shirt, pasty white skin, black hair, wallet on a long chain. But she was also quite carefree. She rode up on her bike, dropped it on the sidewalk, and then stripped down to her skivvies and jumped in the water. It was the most beautiful thing i've seen in a long time. And i'm not saying that because i'm an exciteable male, but because it was a simple loving of life in the moment. Just not something we get to see very often. I've replayed it in my head many times, just trying to reflect on those little moments. Just before she jumped in, she backed up a bit further and pulled her pony tail out. She was just a bit unsure, but it wasn't about standing there in her green-and-white striped boy briefs, it was about the depth and chill of the water.
I watched her for awhile. She swam, got out and dove back in, floated and chilled. Then a boy showed up that she knew and he stripped off his clothes just before she pushed him in. Whatever cares they may have had were completely absent. I'm not saying all of this out of jealousy, just simple bemusement. I have my own moments like this, but they're usually a bit more private. I'm glad hers wasn't or i would have missed out on a beautiful thing.
Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time;
it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.
-- Sidney J. Harris
it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.
-- Sidney J. Harris
(Maybe my 52 in 52 should be stories gathered from the edge of Sycamore pool, rather than places i eat. I think i'm up to 4 now, which is more than i have with the places to eat.)
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posted by joe @ 4:39 PM
6 comments
Oh, that is so sweet. After reading your post, I was trying to visualize what the park (and Sycamore pool) must look like. I did a little search to help out my mind's eye and I have to say, Bidwell Park sounds wonderful! You are fortunate to live in an area that has such a place. I imagine ATL has something similar (somewhere), but regretfully not in my neck of the woods. Thank you for the vicarious moment. :)
P.S. I like your new idea for 52 in 52.
i wish i had a decent pict of her jumping in, but my camera phone doesn't have very good resolution at that distance. More on Sycamore later i guess.
Yes, Bidwell park is amazing. I guess i should do a proper post on it eventually, since it's become such a big part of my life. I'm not sure what info you found out there on it, but the Wikipedia has a little entry on it, including a picture of part of the pool in question. Ya, it's much bigger than that. ;-)
It's sad to think... I have never been there.
Wow, that is beautiful! Okay, my envy just quadrupled. :) The map that I saw on-line was simply a line drawing (no photos), but here's the part I find interesting: just based on your writing (before seeing the photos), the pool and surrounding park are *exactly* how I had imagined it to be. You paint a pretty picture with your words, my friend. :)