Labor Day weekend

The Hagiwara Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park

This past weekend was a long weekend due to Labor Day. On Friday, we were able to get back together as a family after my husband returned from a business trip. We went for a swim in the evening, and all four of us got into the water. Our baby enjoyed splashing around and was thrilled to be in his father's arms. I was relieved to be able to release the pent-up energy from the week and swam a total of 30 laps! That was quite a record for me, and I am glad that I could achieve it at least once this summer.

On Saturday, we decided to catch up on all of our housework and went to the pool again in the evening. On Sunday, we spent the day at San Francisco. We had lunch at Dosa on Fillmore and enjoyed the brunch menu that they had to offer. Feeling full and with our taste buds satisfied, we walked a bit in the adjoining Japantown Center mall and took in all the sights and sounds in the mini-Japan there. We then drove up to Golden Gate park and visited the Japanese Tea Garden.

The Japanese Tea Garden is the oldest public Japanese garden in the US and has been a part of Golden Gate park since 1894. It was built by a Japanese immigrant and gardener called Makoto Hagiwara and is also called the Hagiwara garden, with the street being named after him. The garden has Buddhist and Shinto influences and contains about 3 acres of trees, rocks, ponds, pagodas, gates and a teahouse. It is designed to have a calming effect and slow people down, and that is exactly what we did when we were there.

When we visited on Sunday, the garden was quite crowded and that took away from the experience a little bit. But the environment soon took over and we enjoyed being around all the greenery it had to offer. The sound of flowing water, the bamboo trees, the beauty of the garden and the energy around it were very pleasant all around. My sister and I remembered our grandfather when we saw the lotus flowers in the pond. And of course, there were the Japanese lanterns around the zen garden as well. I feel like there are a few recurring themes in my posts and in my experiences. Some of it is pure coincidence (since this place was suggested by my sister) and some of it is because there are certain things we gravitate towards, being what we enjoy. We walked around the garden and then sat down together at the tea house and sipped on some tea and chatted for a while. I enjoyed this experience a lot, along with the few calm moments when I stepped away to feed my baby near a small fountain of water (pictured below).

Calming corner of the garden

After the Japanese tea garden, we drove home and were fortunate to have both the kids fall asleep in the car after a long day out. We were able to enjoy the drive and chat a bit on the way back home, stopping at the Indian store on the way to prepare for the next day.

Monday was Labor day and was also Ganesh Chaturthi. We had bought a small Ganesha for the puja and I washed and arranged all of my puja items together. My daughter and I picked a few flowers from our garden for the puja and then lit lamps while singing Ganesha songs. She was very excited to dress up for the puja. We then cooked lunch and decided to relax a bit in the afternoon. In the evening, we went on a bike ride on a nearby trail and stopped at  a park for the kids to play. Both of the kids went in the “Bee”, the bike trailer attached to my husband’s bike. I was getting back on my bicycle after over four years – the last time I had ridden it was pre-kids! But I was able to manage the short ride, and it was a great experience to go out together.

As we get back to a short work week today, I am reminded that we are now in September and that it is technically Fall. However, I would like to consider summer to go on until about the 20^th of this month, and then start Fall in my mind. While Fall used to be my favorite time of year, it now triggers my anxiety. I absolutely dislike winter the most, however. I will have to find a way to make it through the next few months, still preserving humility as a foundation, cautiously stepping forward while striving to be better, and continuing to look for ways to bring a positive energy home to the family.