susanbwrite

Today I walked one of the dogs I walk to a large park we often went on hot days in the Summer. There was .little actual walking on these days and I’d drive the few minutes for the two spray areas. When the temps were upwards of 90F it was a great way to cool off for the oup and I. Today, in early October the temps have risen to unseasonable 83, close to 90 one of the days. I sauntered over to the park thinking maybe the sprays, at the very least the bubbler or water for water bottles would still be on. We couldn’t have been so lucky all had been shut off for the season.

What of unreasonably warm days like these when people like me are looking for a little refreshing spray of water? What about all the people who use athletic facilities there, soccer field, skate park, , hockey rink, basketball court, workout area, or dog park? BWhat if you bring g a drink, water and you run out? Am I the only one who thinks of these things?

The park is in the neighborhood of Boston where my parents grew up, Allston ,Ma. Over the last 20 years or so Harvard University has taken over this area where their busines school resides, across the Charles River from the main campus and Harvard Square. Cambridge. They have built (and built and are still building) around the neighborhood including a beautiful little park behind the Allston branch of the Boston Public Library. I also spend a lot of time with the pup, there and when I lived in. the neighborhood in the house where my Dad grew up. If you follow the path by this park bit further back there’s more..built by Harvard which includes their School of Engineering in a large , new modern structure. This used to be the home of WGBH, a much smaller building that was moved a few minutes down the road to a much larger, also more modern building with the money they received from Harvard. Convenient for them. The newer location can be seen from the Mass Pike going east into Boston with a large marquis of the current programming. I live for and watch one of their programs daily. I get to see and hear many local people representing our state like the governor the Mayor of Boston or on monthly as well as weekly other dignitaries like Harvard professors of note, experts on food and restaurants, local and otherwise and the community. It’s very much a convenience that I really relied on and hate when they’re not there during holidays. .. a true inconvenience

. Last week at this time I was walking one of the pups I walk who lives in that old neighborhood of mine and I love being able to revisit those parks, beautiful green spaces that are there and they’re right next to the Charles River as well but that part of the Charles River I’m not a fan of.. I’ve been up and down that River all my life, my Dad’s used to take us for bike rides from Belmont and up the River since the street next to it on one side would be closed to traffic on Sundays and we would ride all the way up to the Esplanade. I walked it up lot too when I started doing a lot of walking over 10 years ago. I have a thing about revisiting the same place as constantly , plus I’m always a bit part of that the Charles River has never been too clean they claim it is now but I don’t know and walking around it isn’t that clean either and now that I can I like to drive out to places where there’s less City and more Woods and nature for my walks. The Charles River is there and very convenient and it also flows into Watertown where I live now and Newton where there is a beautiful Park I like to walk. Its an Inconvenience that becomes a wonderful one.

The pandemic was a fantastic thorn in our side. I was living alone in the house my father grew up in and struggling financially and didn’t feel like I was eligible for a ‘proper’ jobs. I began doing those app food orders, well I had been doing them before the Pandemic. I picked up Uber Eats during it and I remember how great it was to be out on the roads when nobody else was. The only problem was the condition of the roads. Not only did I destroy my car by driving it all the time doing these gig jobs but the horrible roads did their part as well. I had so much trouble with the car I was using since since it was an aging car my dad had bought new some 10 years previous. I literally drove it to the ground. When things started opening back up and people going back to work I remember they started repaving some of the roads in the Boston area and I was celebrating. I now living in town where there’s constant road work. Once I leave my neighborhood I’m on a very main street that goes into Cambridge. It has been rough and awful all along driving up and down from Watertown to Cambridge. Shortly after I moved into this apartment a year ago the road near me was repaved ..and i celebrated. . A few months later it was dug up again for pipe work,. The repaving was just finished yet again which caused a good two weeks of road blocks etc and me having to drive around it to get anywhere. At least if I wanted to get to the wonderful Armenian markets on that street I could walk because driving is enough to make me want to pull every little hair out of my head, that barely has any. Armenian markets convenient, road work around them, not. Newly paved road that will be clear of all construction work and road blocks, convenience Bravo.

I can go on and on juxtaposing conveniences in my life to the inconveniences. I have many device and internet, for instance how Starbucks doesn’t have direct USB- C or USB outlets just regular electric outlets. I spend many afternoons sitting in one trying to accomplish something on my tablet and some of them have nice outdoor seating areas but again, no way to charge my devices. No device or Internet works at well for me ever, anyway. Summer evenings I set out on the porch off my sister’s room it’s quite lovely out there but is a good internet? No. Same thing if I want to sit in the yard while barbecuing. The local show I listen to via app on wgbh/NPR/PBS. often just stops streaming in the midst of listening. I switch to the web and it s does the same thing. I try to find that great True Crime scam/ Stalking murder podcast and it’s very difficult to find ones I haven’t listened to. Highly….inconvenient.

I guess a lot of these are First World Problems. I worry that we will no longer be a First World. If we lose Rights,health coverage, food resources, education, all else, I see a dark future. I worry about the young people and children growing up in this climate that has been established but I also selfishly worry about myself and my family. This is all more….than an inconvenience.

. It’s very much a convenience I