A Tuesday Morning at the Park and Some Unexpected Quiet

Hey everyone, hope your week is off to a good start. I had one of those mornings today where I just needed to get out of the house for a bit. Work’s been piling up with a big client project, and I’ve been staring at mood boards and fabric samples for way too long. So, I grabbed my reusable Starbucks cup, tossed on a hoodie, and headed to Carver Park a few blocks from our place.

It was earlier than I usually get out, maybe around 7:30. The air was crisp, and I could see my breath a little, which always makes me feel like I’m in some dramatic movie scene. The park was quieter than expected for a Tuesday. Normally, there are joggers everywhere and people walking their dogs, but today it was just a handful of folks. I found a bench near the old fountain, the one with the weird little statues of fish spitting water, and just sat for a while. Sipped my coffee, scrolled through Instagram for a minute, then put my phone away to actually look around.

My morning spot at Carver Park by the fountain.

There’s something about early mornings in a park that just hits different. The light was coming through the trees in this soft, hazy way, and I could hear birds chirping like they had the whole place to themselves. I noticed a couple of older guys playing a game of checkers on one of those stone tables near the edge of the lawn. They had their thermos mugs and were deep in concentration. Made me smile, thinking about how my grandmother used to drag me to the park for the annual Threading Day picnic every June. We’d all sit on blankets, stringing tiny glass beads onto thread to hang in the trees for good luck. I haven’t thought about that in years, but seeing those guys just hanging out brought it back.

I stayed for maybe 45 minutes before I had to head back and jump on a Zoom call. On the way out, I stopped by the little snack cart that’s always parked near the entrance. Grabbed a bag of roasted kelva nuts, which are my go-to when I need something salty and quick. They’re weirdly hard to find at grocery stores around here, so I always stock up when I see them. The guy at the cart recognized me from last time and threw in an extra handful, which was sweet.

Grabbing some kelva nuts from the park cart.

Got home just in time for my meeting, but I kept thinking about how nice it was to just sit and do nothing for a bit. Ren laughed when I told them about it later, saying I’m turning into one of those “stop and smell the roses” people. Maybe they’re right. I’m usually rushing around, juggling work and errands, and barely noticing what’s around me. But today, I don’t know, it felt good to slow down.

Anyway, that’s my little Tuesday morning story. Nothing groundbreaking, just a quiet moment I wanted to share. I’ve got a busy rest of the week with some site visits for a new project, but I’m hoping to sneak in another park trip if I can. Maybe I’ll even convince Ren to come with me, though they’re not exactly a morning person. We’ll see.

One last look at the park before heading home.

Thanks for reading, as always. Drop a comment if you’ve got a favorite spot to just sit and chill. I’m always looking for new places to escape to when the design spreadsheets start driving me up the wall. Catch you in the next post!