We were finally leaning into the last leg of our U.S. trip—this crazy and wild ride that no one (including ourselves sometimes) thought we could make it out of in one piece. Through all of our fear, engaging ambiguity, and finding slivers of beauty amidst a mass of humanity…we were almost there. Acknowledging how much growth we had all made and how much we still needed to work towards balance, we were pushing ourselves to become even stronger Intercultural Citizens through the challenge of remembering how to play and be humble, even in the midst of the unknown and uncomfortable.
The Human Experience in Gotham
New York City saw the boys continuing to be more flexible and able to cover longer distances. The first night tested our adaptability, as we fought our fatigue and some rain and cold to power through to see the Braves-Mets game at Citi Field (on the other side of town from our Jersey City Airbnb), which ended up being an adventurous way to find the beauty of shared blankets and chilly-nosed nuzzles–because, who brings sweatshirts to a baseball game in June?
Visiting Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty was a moving experience as we all learned more about the history of immigration to the United States through the voices and time capsules on display. Humanizing the experience past books and videos were the handwritten letters and powerful sound clips layering each room of the museum. Meagan was silent most of the time, with tears brimming, as she felt the pain, hope, little joys, and aching hearts of this mass immigration. To say the least, we all felt it in our chest. In our guts. It was so present and drenched us all in a history that often feels so far away. It reminded us that we are all resilient, unique, and human.
Pausing to Play
We also braved the Brooklyn Bridge by foot, a much-needed way to come full circle after our heavy Ellis Island experience. We danced much of the way to energetic beats layered over “Cold water! Cold water! Cold water! Only one dollar!”, grabbed some sundaes the size of our faces, and walked along the East River just absorbing on our way to nowhere the daily life of a New Yorker and imagining what it would be like to dodge the swaths of people with headphones in on a daily basis. The sun was gentle and the water cleansing. But the highlight of that second day was the pickup baseball game we played as a family at dusk in Liberty State Park, which was a great chance for us all to take a break from the hustle and just play together. It was like a movie. The sun pouring over the city and reflecting the light off of the millions of windows into different worlds. It was authentic and organic. Full of laughs and grass stains. The world was whole in that space of just being.
We spent our third day in New York exploring Governor’s Island–a giant playground with basket swings, a splintered ninja course, hammocks, ball fields, and outrageously-sized hot metal slides. Yet again, I couldn’t help but feel the urge to just pause and play. To be present and allow for an experience that wasn’t constantly working towards being our best IC selves felt like we were screwing up; but our hearts were screaming for it–and that’s when it hit that balance is a part of it all in so many different ways. We needed to stop thinking and start doing. I had let go of the necessity of “all things going as planned”; however, it was in this branch of our adventure that the lesson of letting go of my internal experience came to the forefront. I realized that, in order to be my vision of my best self, I needed to play. We needed to play.
Energy In and Out
On our final day we got to meet up with Meagan’s great aunt, Alison, strolling through Central Park and intentionally stopping and smelling the flowers, touching the trees, and shuffling the leaves. Bottling that peace up, we gathered our nerves and promised to be mindful as we braved Times Square, cheered on the performers, and were finally ushered out for a peaceful protest to begin. Fully charged from the energetic exchange of Times Square, we sucked in some bravery along with some deep breaths and worked our way up to the top of the Empire State Building, where Robbie was left with the lasting impression that there was a constant hum that encompassed this magnificent place–that it was never truly quiet and in an odd sort of way it was like a blanket of authenticity that was the heart of this city.
In the spirit of play, we spent an afternoon at Hershey Park igniting the kid in all of us. Although morally against the capitalist world, it was hard not to feel like we had actually walked into Willy Wonka’s. We rode kiddy rides, felt the sheer terror of the Lightening Racer, and got a back reset on the bumper cars. Was it hot? Have mercy. Was it crowded? Do you really have to ask? Would I give it back for anything? Never. We giggled as we ran to get back into line and didn’t think twice about demolishing chocolate covered treats until our eyes glazed. “Once and a while,” I kept thinking, “it’s ok to just exist…to be ridiculous and play like no one is watching.” And we did. Until we had blisters on our feet and legs that just didn’t want to work anymore and it was like the Universe (or Mr. Miyagi) was screaming, “See?! Balance. It makes you better.”
Returning to Roots and Finding Balance
The final stop on this tour de U.S. landed us in Frederick, MD to see Meagan’s mentor and most cherished friend, Alice. She treated us left and right (including some amazing ice cream at South Mountain Creamery) and we couldn’t have asked for a better sendoff. We watched the kids trekking through the trees and engaged all of the 6-legged critters attempting to join our conversations. It had been many years since Meagan had seen Alice and it felt like the entire trip had scaffolded our way to this point–like everything had come full circle and it was time to embrace the closure and peace that came from this final goodbye. The little girl that Alice had once saved was no longer a little girl on the outside, but a grown woman with four boys in tow. A grown woman who would have never been able to see the forest for the trees without this unconditional love and desire to see her become something so much more than she ever thought possible. This release and shedding of some final shell reiterated the undercurrent of balancing work and play; it reminded us that, though there is always room to be better, play is not far removed from this and is, rather, deeply woven into the fabric of what it means to be your highest and best self. It allows the mind space to be curious and entertain outrageous ideas; it is laughter and the encapsulation of the best moments of our lives; it is our inner children finally having space to exist without judgment or reason. It is love in its purest form.
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