Earlier this year, MPR and I came to the realization that since moving to Charlotte, we hadn’t done anything apart. We both go to work all day, then come home and eat dinner together, take Rufio for a walk together, watch a TV show or two together, and go to sleep together. On the weekends, we often run errands together, take Rufio to the park together, go out with friends together, and lounge by the pool together.
On the one hand, this sounds a little sad, but in our defense, this is the first time in our lives we’ve actually been on the same schedule. MPR always supported his substitute teaching positions by working in restaurants, meaning I was left on my own most evenings and weekends. The fact that we now had our Saturdays and Sundays to spend together meant everything.
But one Saturday morning, I decided to get out there on my own. MPR had an appointment for a haircut in uptown, and instead of catching up on TV shows at home, Rufio and I walked into the city with him. After we dropped off MPR, I stopped at Starbucks for my Oprah chai tea latte with soy milk (#BasicAndProud) and with cup in hand, I set out to explore. I walked the streets with no real destination in mind. Eventually I found my way to a park by following green space and landmarks. (No Google Maps referenced!) I parked it on a bench, let Rufio lounge in the grass and play with other puppies as they walked by, and enjoyed the sun and solitude (and my Starbucks).
It was our own little quiet pocket inside the city, and it was one of the first times Charlotte started to feel familiar.
Caitlin Ryan, APR 