art and rhythm

This morning I took the girls to the Brooklyn Museum. It was only my second trip to an art museum. Ever. The first was last year when Justin took me to the Denver Art Museum for our anniversary, but my pregnancy nausea was so severe that I spent a good amount of time sitting in a chair while I looked at the artifacts in a brochure. I guess my family is more Natural History Museum -kind of folks, which isn't too sad unless you're an Art Museum girl like me who never even knew it. So today Amelia and I walked through the Impressionists room and I felt like I do in the Botanic Gardens--as if I were home away from home. To be standing in front of Monets, to have color and light wash over me in a soft blue room was like dreaming of heaven. I didn't even mind walking through at pre-schooler pace, nice and steady but not for too long. Amelia learned about ports and waves from the paintings and the highlight for her was probably the amazing timed fountain in front of the museum. We have a membership and I'm going to see how often I can go. We may do a couple floors each time.

Have you ever heard people talking wistfully about springtime in New York and wondered if it is really that great? I did, and I am happy to report that it is every bit as wonderful as people say. The landscape is creating softer edges around our lives as silky blooms and lush greenery creep out of branches over and around us. There's an irony in that I've been more in nature since moving to the city than ever before. It's the beauty of being a pedestrian--your body actually gets to experience the seasons and the weather and you feel your heart and body settle into a rhythm that is not manufactured. The other day it rained here, and Amelia was ready. Her new rainbow umbrella had only seen indoor action in Mary Poppins recreations, and rain boots and a yellow rain coat from Sylvie were ready to be put to the test. So the rain came, and I thought, what a lovely day to go to the grocery store! Amelia leaped into uniform and I grabbed the umbrella and the baby pack. On our way up and down our street we watched the way the rain drops made ripples in the puddles and Lucy watched the pattern the rain made as she listened to it tap on our umbrella. It smelled sweet and clean and I wondered at how I've done my best to avoid the rain since my pedestrian days in college. What a shame.