Coming and Going

I have always had a very non-committal relationship to San Francisco. I moved here from Berkeley before starting graduate school in Berkeley (go figure). A close friend had an extra room and I thought now is the time to have the San Francisco experience. Granted I wasn't fresh out of college with few worries and tons of time, but this would have to do.

Flash forward almost six years later and I am now raising a son in this city by the Bay. This city has issued me a marriage certificate and a birth certificate. It is starting to feel like home just at the moment many young families flee for the suburbs for more affordable homes, good schools, and some yard. We have no plans to move at the moment and in the meantime I am struck at how fully this city is shaping Zealand's existence and my experience as a first time mother.

I love that we can walk everywhere. I love that we can walk a few blocks to a small market for a few items. I love that I can stroll a few blocks to meet Susannah and her son Griffin for a latte in our neighborhood cafe. I love that world renowned destinations are just outside our door.

I love that our day can, within a 3 mile radius, become a walk to the bookstore, the library, and then up to the park for some play before heading home.

As for Zealand, he loves the buzz and excitement of urban space. Busses make him giddy and trains send him through the roof. This morning as we waited for the train along with a crowd of commuters in the grey fog Zealand was kicking his feet and going nuts every time a train or bus passed.

We rode the train to Duboce park and met up with his friend Maricela. The two of them would stop dead in their tracks whenever they heard the train coming. At one point they both stood near the fence looking longingly at the tracks. I wonder if at night Zealand dreams of trains coming and going.