New Routines
June 23, 2005
The picture on the left contains most of the important elements of our current life in Washington. It was taken from the window of our apartment.. Every day as I type these responses at our small desk I can look to the left and see that scene. Obviously we are only a few blocks from the Capitol, but it is also important to note that the building on the right is the back of the Folger Shakespeare Library, into which Emily disappears every day, while the building that partially eclipses the Capitol is the Library of Congress where I take up residence in the morning and then again in the afternoon. We don't have far to go..
Last year at this time I was getting used to a routine in Damascus, Syria.. this year it is Washington DC.. but it is the same process. Slowly an area which was previously unknown becomes composed of recognized streets and stores and routes. Yesterday after Emily’s afternoon session at the Folger we took off in pursuit of a supposed nearby organic market.. and found it! This was a definite step forward since it will be our primary source of food here, and within walking distance. To the left is a picture of Emily in the morning as she begins her short walk to the Folger. I am always amazed just how quickly one adapts to a new situation and starts wearing down a usual path. Be it Damascus or Washington.. or Atlanta.. that process is always similar.
The trick in any new place is to break out of those paths.. not let them wear down into a rut. It takes a constant commitment to seeing the world, a commitment that always feels to me like it is getting lost and in danger of being forgotten. And I guess that is the reason I am writing these daily responses.. the demand to write is the spur that pricks me into getting out and seeing a new world.