GETTING STONED ON THE MYSTIC RIVER



you will never believe what just happened to mary and me!!!

let me set the stage for you first. it's a hot sunday afternoon and after watching america's longest movie and sitting in the stale, humid air for too long i decide enough is enough and i have to get out of the house. so i grab mary and my keys and we head out for a leisurely stroll. mary mentions that she knows this really great trail that goes along the mystic river and so we head over to arlington in my ugly car.

we find parking and get out and take a deep breath in. it was beautiful. I LOVE LIVING IN NEW ENGLAND!!! anyway, we start our journey and head down the little path that is running parallel to the river and we're talking about life, love and the pursuit of happiness. we come to a fork in the trail and i decide that we should continue to our right, because it's more scenic and closer to the river. all is well in our world and it couldn't be more beautiful.

so the trail is snaking us along through a rather thick wood and just ahead i hear voices, which isn't surprising, we aren't the only ones enjoying the great outdoors. we turn a corner and see a group of about 8-10 kids standing around talking and decide to follow a second trail that has us walking away from the kids. so far, not such a big deal, right? okay, we continue walking along and conversing about random things when all of a sudden a rock thuds down, just inches from mary's foot. taking a second look but not thinking too much of it, we continue on. then, in this very surreal moment another rock is flying through the trees, smacks into a tree branch and finds it way just past my head, and said tree branch grazes my shoulder.

at this point, it clicks. okay, this isn't a game. these kids are truly throwing rocks at us. wait... did i say that right? yes. ROCKS... being thrown at us... not a game...hmmm.

so very calmly and rather quietly, mary and i continue down the path and begin to laugh at this nonsensical experience and i can hear the kids yelling something at us that is inaudible. it takes us a moment to truly take in what we had just experienced, but the afternoon is in no way ruined and we finally reach the end of the trail and begin our journey back. this time, deciding that rather than retrace ALL of our steps, we'll forego that part of the trail and take the alternate route. good idea guys!

we turn a corner and for 2.5 seconds i was paralyzed with fear as i see all kids walking in our direction about 15 yards away from us. mary calmly reassures me that everything is going to be okay and without a glance we continue on our path. then, as if i'm in a movie i hear the kids scream out... "this place isn't for white people." WHAT? did i hear that right? it was so weird... to be that close to blatant racism. true, they were kids and as mary put it, they were just looking for a reaction or attention... but still.

my honest reaction was to go over to them and make friends with them and teach tolerance and respect... but then... i'm not michelle pfeiffer and this was no "dangerous minds" moment.

just totally weird, wouldn't you say?