New routines in my life.  New challenges.  New rewards.

Living in a suburb of Boston has its drawbacks.  It’s expensive for one.  Some of the towns are just plain ugly and the congestion can be taxing – not to mention the materialism.  But for every negative, there are many more positives.  Boston itself is a beautiful city – historic buildings, winding streets, a wonderful harbor.  As city’s go, it’s incredibly walkable.  It’s an epicenter of learning – home to dozens of universities, museums, and the best hospitals in the world. Plus there are tons of job opportunities.

And, with the exception of New York, you can’t beat the cultural offerings.

Since I had my older daughter for the day, I decided to take her to the Museum of Fine Arts.  It’s been years since my last visit and this trip was as much for her and it was for me.  The car ride into town was fairly quick.  Tickets were free (always a plus).   I handed her the map. “Where do you want to go first?”

She couldn’t decide so I took her the Egyptian wing and we looked a statues carved from black rock, walls of hieroglyphs, and of course the mummies. She pointed a few things out, asked a few questions … but quickly started to lose interest.  I shuffled her off to another room – Babylonia (wings, beards, lions), Ancient Greece (Hercules, naked men, erections, Gods, battles) and Rome (togas, jewelry, marble statues with stern stony stares).  Yawns.  I needed a different tack …

… Wrote this on March 7, 2014.  I can’t remember what my point was now.  I remember the day though – wandering through the museum. She really enjoyed the modern art, the fashion through the ages exhibit, and the dimly lit Japanese shrine with its placid Buddhas and fierce wind god statues.  Perhaps I was trying to remind myself about the simple joys of being a parent, of feeling worthy of my daughter’s love despite decisions I made.

… She looks so little in the picture I took of her.  Time flies and they grow so fast.