National Arboretum

On Saturday I spent several hours wandering the grounds of the National Arboretum with a good friend and am so pleased to say that I think I have found my new Regent's Park. When I studied in London a few years ago, I adored all of the fantastic restaurants, theaters, museums, and parks, but especially the parks. I spent many afternoons reading in Regent's Park even though Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens were much closer to where I lived. Each time I walked along the water, sat in the rose garden, or spread out on the grass to read and nap, I felt the world is alive and drenched in beauty.

I felt that again this weekend, walking through orchards and running into friends on shaded paths, and I want to go back again and again and again. This past week the azaleas were in full bloom, splashing the hillsides with pinks and whites and reds and purples. It is on days like Saturday, when I have been reveling in natural beauty, reading lots of Scott Russell Sanders, and soaking in hours of sun while weeding and gardening, that I wonder at myself for not spending every moment I possibly can outdoors.