It amazes me that there are people in this country who have never heard of the children’s book Make Way for Ducklings. I feel bad for them. Of course, if you live in Boston you’ve heard of it. If you grew up in Boston since it became popular, you probably had it read
to you many, many times. If you live in Boston and have kids, you probably read it to them.
My body is very sensitive to dew points. (Yes, there’s a connection, just go with me here.) I checked online this morning, but I already knew the dew point was over 55 degrees. Sure enough, it was 58. I could feel it. I wanted to stay home and avoid the air out there, but at the same time, I just really needed to get out of the house. I haven’t gone out much the last few days, and I really didn’t want to cancel my plans to meet a friend for lunch. I put on some waterproof shoes, threw my purse and a book into a waterproof backpack, grabbed an umbrella, and headed out into the cool air in a tank top and jacket. I quickly took off the jacket.
All around me people were wearing long sleeves and jackets. I was sweating in my tank top. I really didn’t feel great, but I pushed through. My friend and I had a nice lunch (and he even treated… several friends have done that since I’ve had to stop working, which is
very sweet.) Afterwards, I took the long way back to the T (our subway.) I needed exercise, so I walked through the Public Garden. And for a little while, walking through the garden, I was able to forget about feeling lousy.
The swans were returned to the lagoon just a few days ago. (They spend their winters in a zoo.) People were playing with their dogs, including an adorable little puppy. The tulips glistened with raindrops. And a duck had had babies. I counted 9 little ducklings swimming around the lagoon, happy as could be. Tourists and 
locals alike took pictures of the adorable little ones. I couldn’t help myself; I pulled out my phone and snapped a bunch of pictures too. (I took all of the pictures in this post this afternoon.) It was hard to look at those fuzzy little baby ducks and not feel happy. Then I walked past the ducklings statues where adorable, happy children were excitedly climbing all over them and taking turns trying to name each duckling. If possible, they were even cuter than the ducklings
The park was like an oasis. It was peaceful and happy. It was the middle of the day and none of us were at work 
(for various reasons, I’m sure.) The people were relaxed. The animals were happy. The flowers were in bloom. The trees were full of life. It was just simply good.
By the time I got home the extra walk had taken its toll. I barely had the energy to change out of my jeans (they were too hot) before I crashed on the couch. I spent a few hours just watching tv. Even holding a book would have taken too much energy. I was purely exhausted. My body felt heavy. My limbs felt leaden.
It helped, though, to have had that break. I was stuck at home on the couch, but this time I didn’t mind as much. Those minutes watching the puppies and the ducklings, the kids and the flowers, made all the difference.
Chronic Rants 