Lotus Moment: An Acorn Grows In Boston

Why this is awesome: So about one year and one month ago, I took a mini-road trip up to Boston as a small getaway after years of vacations at home. Although the recommended route was fraught with traffic and the humidity in Boston was nightmare-inducing when I arrived, the overall visit was quite lovely.

I got into full tourist-mode and managed to walk a lot more than I thought I would. Traveling around on the T was fairly simple, and despite the heat, the remaining days were pleasant. I people-watched on Boston Common while eating ice cream, bought books at 4 different independent bookstores, and marveled at one of the creepiest/coolest statues I've ever seen. (It's the Edgar Allan Poe statue in case you're wondering.)

But one of my favorite memories of my trip in Beantown involved a visit over to the Beacon Hill area to walk along the much-beloved Acorn Street. There, I saw and chatted with fellow history buffs who wanted to take selfies and group shots along the longest surviving colonial street in America.

While we patiently waited for others to get their "model on," I met a group of 4 college students enjoying their day out in the city. We didn't exchange names or share our life stories, but we did appreciate the shady spot together and joked about how getting out & about feels slightly different after months of lockdown in the wake of the pandemic.

I offered to take their group photo together so they didn't have to use a selfie stick, and they, in turn, took one of me. My photo came out terrible (not their fault), but I love this shot of the 4 of them just laughing and joking as we all waited for our shared tourist experience. As a result,it was the lotus moment before that experience that I'll remember most.

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Image: A group of students & a tourist chatting on Acorn Street by Candace Nicholson