Friday Friends

Dear friends,
It's Friday. I was thinking "Friday Friends" would be a neat way to connect as the week nears the end and check in on how we're doing and how you're doing.  How are you, friends?

It's been one week since we last saw any friends; we've been socially distancing from everyone and my family has self-quarantined. Due to the coronavirus, my parents drove home from Florida, but I haven't even seen them yet as I am a rule-follower who wants to keep everyone safe. (Oh, how I want to hug my mama!)  One thing that has been keeping my family sane during this Pandemic has been our time in nature.  Every day I grab my three kiddos and we head out for some fresh air, exercise, and nature.  Today was no exception.  We chose to stay close to home because it looked like it could rain any minute and went to Ryan Park around 1:30pm.  I've been enjoying the walks and talks with the kids as we process our "new normal."  The time in nature gives us a break from the information overload coming at us; and we begin to feel like regular people just getting outside: the old normal.


It's a bit grey today, but I always find the trails and the water to be so beautiful.  I love hearing the waterfall and we listened for birds and animals along the walk.  Early signs of spring have made their appearance! We love mindful walking in the peaceful woods of Ryan Park.


Towards the middle of the hike, we found this decorated tree.  What a pleasant surprise that was! I wondered who came out to decorate this tree; and I felt so grateful.  To whomever pulled out their ornaments to surprise us nature walkers, thank you!  I'm always looking for beautiful things as they fill my heart.  This gesture of bringing joy to walking-folks was so kind; it certainly brought a smile to my face.

However, just a moment after we passed this lovely tree, we heard an announcement.  The kids had wandered ahead of me (I was taking solace in the quiet) when suddenly we heard, "You must evacuate the park!" coming from all the way across the water (see the photo above). The announcement traveled all that way to us on the other side as we were crossing the bridge and someone shouted loudly, "Evacuate immediately!" My kids looked back in terror; "Mommy, did you hear that?" and then they started running.  I had heard the men, but I had no idea the park was closed or that we shouldn't be walking in the woods.  Meanwhile, aside from us, I only saw two guys in kayaks and a fisherman.  That is ALL.  You'll find more people in some offices, the market, the pharmacy...but I digress. After running all the way out of the park, I finally caught up with my kids. We were all feeling like we did something terribly wrong, but I assured them I had no idea parks were closed.  We were startled and scared. We saw the kayakers pulling out their boats and asked them what was going on. One man told us the police had come and said the parks were closed.  We're not sure if it's just our town or what, but, feeling frightened and sad, we hopped back in our car. With all that anxious running, my adrenaline even higher (is that possible?), my heart was racing and I was nearly in tears. Ok, I was in tears a few moments after I got in my car and put on sunglasses so the kids wouldn't see.  THE PARKS ARE CLOSED. This leaves me feeling trapped, afraid, and even more isolated.

I never saw any signs of park closure (even on my way out), but if the police say it's true, it must be so. Governor Raimondo hasn't announced closures of outdoor spaces so it must be my town, but that message was not communicated with residents at all. So, PSA to folks in North Kingstown, don't go to the parks. It's super uncool to be yelled at from so far away and feel like you were not following the rules and need to go home.

So, where are we going to find peace without the parks?

Maybe I'll hang out in my backyard more. Maybe I'll keep rocking the meditation music and throw in some chirping bird sounds.  I told the kids we should make sure the bird feeder is full because we would LOVE some flying friends to come visit us.  In any case, please note that screen-distancing is as important as social-distancing for SANITY.  Take a break, get outside, but stay away from Ryan Park.

Sincerely, 
Kristen