Transitions: Counting Up to 50 List?

 Life Rewind

Am I having a midlife crisis? Well... nah I am not claiming that thought. So I recently turned 49 years of age and realized by this time next year, I will have turned half a century (God willing) years young! What a milestone right?  Actually, every day is a milestone and should be celebrated. So when family members asked me what I was going to do for my 50th birthday celebration, I wasn't exactly beaming with excitement. As a matter of fact, I had been thinking for years about having a grand celebration for previous milestone birthdays (21, 25, 30, 40). 

For my 40th, I wanted a "Favorite Decade" dance party for I LOVE to dance along with my huge family. The planning of such an event was like planning my wedding two decades ago-COSTLY! It would have been just as hyped as my wedding though! However, I have been able to get my groove on with other family celebrations over the years. There have been other milestone celebrations, and I look forward to celebrating even more next year.

Now Press Forward

 Every year I boast about my favorite month of the year July and my Julying shenanigans with my fellow Cancers and Leos. This year's celebration was a little more low-key because of other life events that I am ever so thankful for. So I started thinking about things that I want to do and started to compile a list. It's NOT a "bucket list." It's a "counting up to 50" list. Alright, so what the heck is the "counting up to 50" list? Instead of counting down like we do for New Year's, I will like to count up to the next age of 50. I am just being different because I am Special! I started a list of 50 things I would like to do or accomplish before turning the age of 50 or when I turn 50 years young.

I am currently (at the time this is published) at number 20 on my list. I am sure there are 30 more items I can add to my list before July 2024 rolls around. Wink. In order to challenge me, one of the items on the list is to write 50 blog posts. This will be my first post for it's been a long time. This will be my countdown starting at 50. Now I have 49 more to go! Told you I am Special! Until next time, remember that life rewinds but now press forward.

Kaisha

Blog post ©August 1, 2023
All Rights Reserved.

Transitions: Invisible

Life Rewinds

Photo provided by K.S. Goring

"I would rather be invisible, because no one will see me coming."

 -K. N. Goring

This was my daughter's answer to a recent class question of the day. The      question asked if you would rather be invisible or super strong? Invisible. How many of us have wanted to be invisible or maybe have felt invisible? For my daughter, feeling invisible has been a regular occurrence for her when it comes to being in her classes. The reason would be because of four distinct words known as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

I have heard this term throughout the years but was ignorant to its meaning. The term can have a negative connotation to some people. I was one who had negative thoughts to the word, because medication and hyperactivity always came to mind. Ritalin anyone? I never thought that I would be personally affected by the term, nor thought I would know other people affected by the term.  Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is defined as a neurodevelopment disorder that affects both children and adults which may include impulsivity, hyperactivity, and inattentiveness.

My child has a combination of all three symptoms, and has been doing her best to function in a society that doesn't understand her "super power." Let's start with the question of how many people even know that ADHD has an awareness month? Anyone? I can raise my hand to that, because I just discovered that the month of October is the ADHD awareness month. The awareness or lack there of is what is troubling.  Unlike the more known Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD doesn't get the same amount of interest and support. However, there are some similarities between the two.

Before my daughter was officially diagnosed with ADHD two years ago, there were signs pertaining to her expressive and receptive development. As a mother, I knew there was something wrong but couldn't pinpoint the issue. I believed at one point in time that my child could be on the Autism Spectrum. After undergoing intensive testing with different doctors and specialists, the term that I had been ignorant to understand was now associated with my daughter. What do we do now?

Now Press Forward

What do we do now meant educating ourselves about Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. It also meant making sure our daughter could still thrive in the school environment she was in. Meaning how could we (we being my husband, eldest daughter, and extended family/friends) accommodate my daughter at home and school? The school part would not be easy, because it's the one place my daughter had begun feeling invisible in the fourth grade. It would be the fourth grade where a reevaluation of speech, psychological, and occupational testing took place. The fourth grade was the next step to the final frontier (5th grade) of being in elementary school. 

It would be after the school year ended and during the summer that my daughter was issued an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for the upcoming school year. She was soon to be a part of the big kid crowd, but it would be difficult to make that transition. She was a small fish in a big pond of clicks. In a big pond of new fish coming in, she was beginning to get lost among the old and the new. She was to become misunderstood by her peers which lead to tears. Invisible, because no one saw her coming. No one saw Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

ADHD minds are... You can fill in the blank with an adjective of your choosing. I am able to fill in at least twenty-two adjectives and counting. How about you?  A couple of years ago after summer camp, my daughter came home feeling defeated. She had expressed to me a comment a counselor had made to her that day. The comment made to my daughter was about her not using her brain to answer a question  from one of her summer work packets. Can you imagine the hurt my child was feeling? 

It was not the easiest conversation had with the young adult counselor, but I believe he/she had gotten the gist of what I had explained about ADHD and my daughter. Maybe? I would have many more conservations with anyone who came in contact with my daughter. I would write letters to every teacher, adminstrator, and to the summer camp directors. Yet, I too began to feel invisible. People were hearing me, but were they listening? The what do we do now was beginning to take its toll mentally and physically. Stress.

As mentioned earlier, the invisiblity began in the fourth grade and would continue into the the fifth grade. Although there was an accomodation plan from the school and an official Individual Education Plan (IEP), not everything in her plan could be accommodated. Unfortunately, parents of ADHD super power kids and other learning abilities find themselves struggling with the process of school accommodations. Do you keep your child in the public or charter school system where there is supposed to be a special education program? Do you keep your child in a private school that may or may not be as accommodating? Do you then find the school that actually specializes in teaching special needs and has all the accommodations possible, but at what cost?

Regardless of what a parent decides to do with finding the right school system, the whole process is overwhelming. When the stress becomes to much to handle, the next best thing to do is to seek support. Seeking support is exactly what I did, and I thank the friends who are in this special club for helping me and my family. The Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) is a national nonprofit organization that supports children and adults with ADHD. It's been a year since I joined the local chapter. It's a support place where my child hasn't felt invisible. She and her friends are learning how to use their ADHD Super Powers!

I hope by next October's awareness month, there is more acknowledgement of ADHD's existance and acceptance. For anyone wanting information on ADHD checkout www.chadd.org and www.additudemag.com. Until next time, remember that life rewinds but now press forward.

Kaisha

Blog post ©November 2, 2020
All Rights Reserved.

Transitions: What I Learned About Distance Learning Part 1

Life Rewind

"Hey Ma (those two words usually more exaggerated), I need to download this  App for school." This would be one of many texts I would receive from my eldest teen daughter throughout the 2019-2020 school year. I would receive a text at any time of the day, which left me wondering what was she doing with her cellphone in class? Now when she was first given a cellphone at age 12, I had written up a contract she had to read, sign, and follow. This contract would include getting permission from me or her father to download certain applications. Hence, I would receive notification from the App Store asking for my permission to download games and other applications. In the technology world that we're in, I wanted her to be careful with all the applications that are being offered. 

When it comes to an educational application like Google Classroom, I had no problem granting permission to download. But wait, all I knew about Google was that it's a search engine of information (oh I forgot Blogger!) for anything you want to know. You want to know about your favorite celebrity? You just Google him or her. Want to know the latest fashion trend? You just Google it. Heck, you can even Google yourself. So what's this Google Classroom about? My teen explained her school would be using this application to submit their homework assignments and projects. It sounded good, for it involved school. Right?

I am in PANIC mode! It's the weekend of March 28-29, 2020 and I must download Zoom and Google Classroom on my iPhone and iPad, before the start of distance learning the next day March 30, 2020. I am reading an extensive email on the procedures of both applications via my youngest teen's school. This would be the first time her school is using this digital learning platform. It's MANDATORY to be enrolled and not optional. Wait, what the heck is Zoom and you want me to do what now? It's an application for meetings, and there are meeting codes being provided by the teachers. There are individual classroom codes I need to access and by the way, class starts at 8:00 am in which my student must be logged on. Mind you this conversation is happening in my head as I am reading the email. I received the email in my inbox this particular weekend, which is why I was in panic mode.

Now Press Forward

For the first three weeks of distance learning, my stress level was through the roof. I was so tense that I literally was having a meltdown. My stress was manifesting itself inside the nerves (feeling of pins and needles) of my hands and my head. If you remember from a previous post, I had bailed out of my MRI appointment because of an anxiety/panic attack. When I was finally able to go back by conquering my fears, my results showed that was having STRESS headaches. The imaging had NOT changed from my first MRI ten years earlier (loss of hearing in left ear). I was practically worrying about everything that I had no control over. This COVID-19 pandemic added to my worries because it forced me and my family to learn something new-how to learn by virtual distance.

When it comes to new technology and applications, I am willing to learn. At home, I am the go-to Mom. The printer needs fixing-go to Mom. The computer is doing something crazy-go to Mom. When it came to learning Google Classroom and Zoom, the go-to person was my eldest teen daughter (aka teen1). Thank God her school had been using the application for a few years and she knew what to do. I desperately needed her help. Remember I only had 24 hours to figure out classroom codes and Zoom links before the start of the rest of the 2019-2020 school year distance learning. I wish we had been given more time to prepare.

 "Your iPad mini is ancient," was my eldest daughter's response when we began having audio issues. My youngest daughter (aka teen2) was able to see and hear the teachers and classmates via Zoom.        But when it came to teen2 responding back to questions, the teachers and classmates couldn't hear. She was feeling invisible and she was having difficulty responding in the Zoom chat. Stress level on the rise! There was more to just having Google Classroom. I needed Google Drive, Google Slide, Google Docs, Gmail, Google Chrome, etc. to be downloaded on my iPhone! Oh, and I needed to make sure I had plenty of printer ink and paper for my home printer. Stress level still rising! 

 

My meltdown finally happened when I watched my teen2 trying to do her best to keep up. The school work was overwhelming, she felt like she couldn't participate because she felt invisible. I will go more into detail about her learning with part two of what I learned about distance learning. Let's just say a conversation had taken place. God help me. We were having difficulty trying to complete work on the iPad. So I had to print out the homework, take a picture and submit through Google Classroom or email to the teachers. Also, the audio was still an issue. Through that conversation, a technical solution was given. I learned to be humble and that God makes things happen. I learned that I seriously needed to bring my stress level down. With that said, below is my copied, pasted, and humbled April 17, 2020, FB post:

Gmorning FB family and friends! We’ve made it to another blessed Friday. It’s been a draining week. So I must first give praise and thanks to God for keeping me in the fold. I must thank my wonderful hubby Wayne Goring for keeping me grounded. Kudos to him working hard for the District. Thank you to my children for continuing to learn through distance. Shoutout to the teen for tutoring the tween and myself on how to use Google classroom and Zoom. It’s been a struggle to point of mama had a meltdown!🤯 Thank you to my Break of Dawn coworker KL for calling me. Can’t wait for the bbq with AK when this pandemic subsides! Thank you to my cousins keeping it real and having fun on our thread! Thank you to my girlfriend TK for letting me vent, but for giving me your perspective. Thank you to my parents and siblings for the memes of laughter (sista) 🤣and conversation. Thank you FB family and friends for sharing on this platform of connection.️ Finally, praise God for making things possible. There was a technology need (hence mama meltdown), and tween’s school administrators and teachers made it happen. Thank you.🏾

 

Until part two, life rewinds but now press forward.

Kaisha

Blog post ©October 1, 2020
All Rights Reserved.

Transitions: Mind

Life Rewind

12/28/2018: I thought I was brave. I am walking into Howard University Hospital today to get a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). I have had one before. It was about eight years ago when I was suffering from hearing loss in my left ear. I didn't have any issues then, but today was another story. Today I am alone. I am walking into the hospital with a pep in my step thinking that I can do this. I check into admissions where I receive my paperwork and then proceed to the Radiology Department. After checking in, I am given instructions, a gown, and non-slip socks from the nurse.

After changing into the gown and locking up my personal items, I am lead into the room with the MRI machine. It looks just how I remember...Intimidating. But I know I got this. As I am lying here waiting to be drawn into the machine, I am calm and silently praying. Then the attendee gives me earplugs and puts up the side rails. What I call the "Hannibal Lecture" mask goes over my face. I don't remember this mask from the first time I did the MRI. The attendee hands me the squeeze ball while giving me instructions. He double checks to make sure my earplugs are secured. Breathe. I got this. The attendee leaves the room.

I am slowly drawn into the machine. The sound this MRI machine makes is worse than the sound of the old way we used to connect to the Internet. Eyes are open. Why are my eyes open? My heart rate begins to beat faster as I come to a stop. Again, why are my eyes open? I am looking at the ceiling inside this MRI machine, and it feels like my nose is two inches away from this ceiling. It's narrow inside. I feel like I am in a BOX. I can't move, and my heart is beating even faster. I can't breathe, but I am. I am now freaking out, and my anxiety is now in overdrive. I am having an ANXIETY ATTACK! I squeeze the ball. The attendee asks if everything is okay. "No, can I please come out?" It's probably been a total of three minutes that I have been inside and out of this MRI machine. I explain to the attendee and nurse that I can't do this. They suggest I see my primary care doctor to see if I can be prescribed medication. Xanax.

I explain to the attendee and nurse that I have never panicked to the extent of being medicated. Nah, I'm not about to start taking any medication I can get addicted to (this is my mind thinking). I barely take Ibuprofen for headaches. I will be seeing my primary care doctor on January 3, 2019.  I make it back to the dressing area. Once I am dressed, I quickly leave before anyone sees and says anything to me. Back in my car, I call my husband to let him know I couldn't do it. He assures me everything will be okay. I text my mom and sister to let them know what happened. I drive home feeling defeated.


Now Press Forward

Photo courtesy of K. Goring

I just shared one of many personal journal entries from a very personal health experience. I took this photo on Saturday, December 29, 2018 down by the Georgetown Waterfront. It was the day after my disappointing MRI appointment. My family had decided to cheer me up by going to the movies. I posted photos from our day on Facebook, in which I had subliminally thanked them for the pick me up. This was the profile picture I had chosen. One comment asked me, "Kaisha what's on your mind?" There was a lot going on in my mind that day. I was putting on a brave face for everyone, but I wasn't feeling Brave. There was something going on in my head that I needed answers to, but I couldn't make it through the MRI.

You see I was scared of the MRI process, because I had went by myself. Like I mentioned before, it was about eight years ago when I had my first MRI. I had suddenly started having hearing loss in my left ear, and I had the MRI to see what if anything was wrong. The results had shown everything was fine, but the doctors still didn't know the reason for the hearing loss. So if you ever notice that I turn my head to the right side when you are talking to me, then this is why. That first MRI experience eight years ago was different from the experience in December 2018, for my husband was able to be there. He was my support then (still is), but was unable to attend the second time around. I had really hyped myself up for the second MRI, because I already knew what to expect. In case you missed it, my Anxiety was in overdrive. Yes, I am one of many thousands of people who have sudden episodes of intense fear.

I have had moments of shortness of breathe and a racing heart rate, but never to the extent of that day in the MRI room. You are probably wondering what caused me to get to that day. Trust me, it has been a long process in finding out how I had gotten to that point of needing a second MRI. I will be sharing my story in hopes of helping others, for it's about maintaining physical and mental health. Until the next post, remember life does rewind, but now you must press forward.

Kaisha
Blog post ©September 23, 2019
All Rights Reserved.

Transitions: A Total Loss...

Life Rewind

Surprise! The year was 2002 around mid-summer or early fall. I was at the end of my work shift when my husband called stating he had something to show me. So for the sake of curiosity, I had to check out whatever was outside the Ft. McNair gates. There it was...the crimson red four door 1999 Honda CRV. Surprised yes, but this was not the first time being surprised by a vehicle purchase! What made this a special surprise was that crimson red was to be our first family car. We were expecting our first light, and the two door car I was driving back then was not going to cut it!

Do you remember your first car? Mine was a 1988 red manual shift Toyota Tercel that I paid about $900 dollars. It had a tricked out ignition, in which I could take my keys out and the car would still run! Yeah I had fun with that car, but I don't recommend driving down Route 1 with your keys hanging outside your car door! I had heat, but no air conditioning! Go figure, but it was my first all cash car purchase. The hubby had the air conditioning, but no heat in his first BMW manual shift car! Again go figure!

I reminiscence about our first two cars, because they were of value to us individually. We had our cars before we met. Both cars unfortunately had to be donated, because they were passed their prime. But this isn't about those first two cars, it's about crimson red our first family car together. This is about a "Hit and Run," which lead to a "Total Loss." The timeline goes a little something like this:

It's  May 31, 2017, and I have just dropped the girls off at school. Just after 9:00 am I receive a call from my husband, and he is very upset. He has walked to crimson red, which is parked right in front of the house. It's the first car parked in the designated residential street parking zone, and parked behind it is a neighbor's taxi. After putting his work bag and lunch bag in the trunk, my husband looks down at the back driver's side bumper of the CRV. Crimson red had been hit, and the back wheel and axle have been bent. Our neighbor's side view mirror had been swiped too. The police came to check out the damage, take pictures, and hand my husband the card with the report number. Sound familiar?

The back left side damaged.
© May 2017

The car could not be driven. A claim was filed with our insurance company the same day. Because we didn't have Collision coverage (crimson red was an older vehicle), we were stuck with paying the deductible. The claim was filed under the Uninsured Motorist Property Damage portion of our insurance coverage. Crimson red would be parked for the next two months. This was so disappointing, for we needed both vehicles for our family. We still had school, work, after school activities, appointments, and weekend activities that some times involved two separate vehicles. What made the situation worse was just a few weeks earlier there was the shattering of the Pilot's window (the other family car). Like in my recent post, I was beginning to wonder if this was a sign.

Now Press Forward

Crimson Red on it's way to the shop.
© July 2017

 This was not exactly the scene I had wanted to see. Crimson red   was being hauled off to the collision auto body shop that our   insurance company deals with. Had we known we didn't need to   pay the deductible up front, we would have had crimson red hauled away two months before. It's now July, and we had managed the logistics of using one vehicle. Once we understood the process of getting the car evaluated by the shop, all we could do was wait. Waiting was not easy, for your mind begins to wonder. I began wondering on the day the car was hauled away if it would be the last day seeing crimson red. It turns out it was the last day the car would be parked in the neighborhood. 

Getting the call and reading the email from our insurance company was devastating. Crimson red was deemed a "total loss." It would cost more to fix than the car was worth. We had to make arrangements with the shop to clean out the car and remove the tags. It didn't hit me until the day we drove to the shop. As we began sorting items we were taking or throwing away, the tears started to flow. Damn. I didn't want to be cleaning out this vehicle. We should have been coming to pick up crimson red with its newly fixed bumper, wheel, and axle. 

Crimson red was paid off years ago (just like the Pilot). We had the title. At that point, I was in mourning. My husband did his best to console me. I cried, because this was the first car we brought our first light home in. I was reminiscing about the old times. Crimson red was my vehicle until we bought the Pilot when we were expecting our second light. Then crimson red became my husband's ride. Crimson red had the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. tags on the back (hence the vehicle's name).

 A year has past, and we have managed without crimson red. Although another car would be nice, paying another car note isn't. We never found out who did the hit and run. Coward. This person didn't care. The damage was done in the wee hours of the morning in the cover of darkness. We would have rather gotten the car fixed instead of the check. But I must thank God that my husband was not in the car at the time. If you have read my last post, then you know about the fear I had for my family. The G-unit. We are just that...a family unit. Shattered windows and a total loss in a year can rattle your faith. We are still here pressing forward, still believing, and still keeping the Faith.  

Kaisha

Blog post written by Kaisha Goring
Copyright © August 9, 2018
Photos courtesy of Kaisha Goring
All Rights Reserved.

Transitions: Shattered Windows...

Shattered glass from

inside the Pilot.

© April 2017

 The year 2017 brought joy, accomplishments, then suddenly hit our lives with shattered windows and total losses. The year 2017 turned out to be the year of natural and personal storms.


Life Rewind

Back passenger window.
© April 2017

Shattered. It's how you feel when things or events are out of your control. Then the fear starts to set in, because you can't control the unknown. So this life rewind starts with a beautiful Sunday spring day. My family and I had taken advantage of the spring weather by taking a drive around the city. After our events around the city, it was time to head home to prepare dinner and get ready for the new week. In my last posting, I introduced an infamous stretch of road called the Suitland Parkway. This four lane roadway (two lanes in each direction) was the choice route to get home this particular day. 

Then the unexpected happened as soon as we went past the merge into 
traffic lane. Shattered. The right back passenger window where my teen 
was sitting had shattered. What the _____ just happened? You can fill in 
the blank. Any and every curse word came to mind, but I had to remain calm for the sake of the children. We were half a mile from our exit off 
the parkway, and thank goodness my husband was driving. You can 
imagine the look of fear on my girls faces, especially the youngest who 
was ten at the time.

Once we pulled into our back driveway, my teen carefully maneuvered
herself out of the car. She was okay, but had a couple of scratches on her

Living room window.
© October 2017

leg. After getting in the house, the next step was calling the police. I began taking photos for documentation, and called our insurance company. There was so much glass from this window. The police arrived, asked questions, took pictures, and handed us the card with the report number. Conclusion. The shattered glass was probably from some idiot shooting a b b gun. My daughter thought for a split second that she had seen someone atop the hillside, but the event happened so fast. Unfortunately, we will never know for sure. 

Shattered again. For a moment, I was beginning to feel like we should be 
paying attention to the signs. I just don't know what the signs were. It 
would be about five months later when the shattering of a window occurred again. Right below this window is the "couch of rest." There is something magical about this couch, for you are bound to fall asleep on it when sitting for a period of time. So when my youngest daughter wanted to sleep on the couch one night, my husband and I didn't have an issue with it. That night would be the last night she would sleep on this couch below the window. A call to the police, they arrive, ask questions, take pictures, and hand us the card with the report number. This would be a repeat of what happened a few months earlier. Again we will never know what happened for sure.


Now Press Forward

"May God and the Angels watch over you as you sleep through the night." -Kaisha

This is how we start off our prayers when I'm tucking in my youngest to bed at night. It would be these fourteen words and Faith that helped my daughter that particular night. The next morning my husband had come downstairs to wake up our daughter to start the school and work day. All I can say is that it was a miracle our daughter wasn't physically hurt by the shattered pieces of glass on the couch  where she had slept. It was only God and the Angels protecting her, for she literally slept through the night. Praise God!

Although she was not physically hurt, it was a difficult day at school for our daughter. Her teacher would tell me it was an emotional day, for our daughter had recalled and shared the event. Internally I cried while hugging my daughter after that school day. I would be paralyzed by fear. I kept questioning why these events happened. Was this a sign that we should be living elsewhere?This is one of the personal storms that was happening in 2017. There would be another storm event that happened in between those fives months, which lead to a total loss. I will be writing about that event in another transition post.

The fear for my family's safety has since kept me up at night from time to time throughout 2017 and this year. Any parent would have this feeling, especially when your children are involved. If we could only rewind back to that Sunday drive home, for maybe we could have taking the other route home. Maybe this is why my teenager occasionally asks us to take the other route home (we do when we don't want to sit in traffic), but I've never asked her. Even though the windows are fixed, it hasn't been easy transitioning from fear to faith. It took about a day for the car window to be fixed thanks to Safelite Repair. It would take a couple of months for the living room window replacement, because of the process of replacing home windows. You can replace windows, but you can't replace your loved ones. With that said, I am pressing forward by keeping my Faith in God, for he hasn't forsaken me. The power of prayer works. I have extended the prayer to include keeping the neighbors around us safe as well, and I have always included immediate, extended family, and friends near and far.

This personal storm doesn't compare to the natural storms of hurricanes that were happening during this time last year. I found myself praying even more for my family members and friends who were in the path of the storms. I thank God for enabling a family member to stay with us for an extended time beyond what was to be a two week visit. I thank God that there wasn't damage to the family home. It's the power of prayer and having faith that lets you know everything is going to be all right. 

Peace, Blessings, and Love

Kaisha

Blog post written by Kaisha S. Goring
Photos courtesy of Kaisha S. Goring
© August 8, 2018
All Rights Reserved.

Transitions: A Long Walk Outside The Hood

Life Rewind

Warrior Walkers!
©July 2017

My avid walker husband has managed to turn his used to be avid runner
wife into a weekend warrior walker! It doesn't matter when or where, for the hubby is bound to go walking. Throughout the years, I have accompanied my husband on long walks through and around our neighborhoods, but I have never really paid attention to the surroundings. I am used to the daily routine of hopping in the car and going about our daily business of school and work. One day I see an abandoned building on the corner lot of despair. Then the next month there's a fence around it with signs of renovations about to begin. There are a lot of transitions happening inside and outside of our neighborhood. It's one thing to see the changes from inside the car, but seeing the changes up close on foot is another eyeopening experience.

So when my husband asked me to take a walk with him outside of our current neighborhood last summer, I said okay. What I thought was just an ordinary walk to get fit and stay healthy, turned into a walk of discovery about the city we call home. We have been Washington, DC. residents for the past 15 and half years. For twelve years we lived in the NE quadrant section of the city by the infamous R.F.K Memorial Stadium where Washington's football, baseball, and soccer teams have played. Unfortunately, the stadium is a shell of itself. However, there are still events taking place there from time to time. It also happens to have an expansive parking lot, which is a great spot to teach a teen how to drive!

R.F.K Memorial Stadium Event
© September 2016

 What I liked most about the area when we lived in the neighborhood was the walking and running path. It is located on the outskirts of the stadium. There is also a playground located along the path, but closer to the residential homes. We would often take the kids down to the playground, roller skate, and taught them to ride bikes. The path around the stadium was also where my husband and I would often walk. Also I would attempt to channel my inner Flo Jo and run (not really, for my knees say otherwise!).

Trail next to Suitland Pkwy
© June 2018

For the past three and half years we have lived in the SE quadrant of the city. I guess the landmark I can give would be the infamous Suitland Parkway located just off the 295 highway, and one of the roadways to Prince Georges County Maryland (oh the morning and afternoon traffic headaches!). Another landmark that folks in the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) would know is the historic Barry Farms. It is a Southeast neighborhood located east of the Anacostia River, and is about to undergo redevelopment and revitalization by the DC Housing Authority (stay tuned). Just like our former Northeast neighborhood, our Southeast neighborhood and surroundings are going through some transformations. It has been within this past year of taking walks with my husband that I have begun to appreciate the changes. I have begun to document our walks by taking photos of the sites we have passed while stopping to read some of the history markers that are located in various locations.

Now Press Forward

Now pressing forward to let us say two weeks ago, my husband and I managed to walk three days out of the fourth of July week (yes we walked on the 4th!). It was exhausting, but I pushed myself enough to tackle some hills. I had to channel my inner self from my cross country days in high school. Our walk normally starts with us walking down hill (Stanton Road) towards Suitland Parkway, crossing the parkway, and then walking through the neighborhood on the other side of Stanton Road. We then would walk through the streets of historic Anacostia to get to the Fredrick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

View of the Douglass Bridge
coming from Suitland Pkwy
© June 2018

Now family and friends who know me may remember that I had a phobia of driving or riding in a vehicle across bridges. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island to Brooklyn in New York is to blame. Back in the day we took family trips to Brooklyn to visit extended family, and the sight of the bridge literally was terrifying as a kid. Although the suspension bridge still freaks me out as an adult, I now appreciate its industrial beauty! My phobia may have subsided throughout the years, but walking across the Douglass Bridge tends to bring back the fear of falling into the river below. The bridge shakes when driven across, and walking across is no better. The Douglass bridge is a swing bridge that carries South Capitol Street across the Anacostia River, and one of a few bridges that connects Southeast to the rest of the city. Southeast is only accessible via a bridge. I have managed to channel my inner calm of silence when crossing by foot, which means my husband can't talk to me until we are completely across the bridge! Once we walk over the swing section of the bridge, I am in my "Thank you Jesus" mode! Check me out!

I can do this!
© June 2018

                  

               I made it across!
          © June 2018

Douglass Bridge from
South Capitol Street
© July 2018

A long walk outside the hood means just that. On average, my husband and I walk approximately six miles round trip. Our long walks tend to last about two and half to three hours, because we tend to stop to take in the view. To be frankly honest, our long walks give us that much needed couple time away from our offspring! Shh...don't tell the kids! We have found walking outside of our neighborhood is very intriguing with an insight to DC history. At times we have accidentally stumbled upon unknown sites. One little unknown site we discovered on July 7th was the Field House, which was hosting a viewing of the World Cup. It's like an outside bar area located just in back (depending on which street you are on) of the new DC United Soccer Stadium. The stadium had it's grand opening last weekend (July 14th). When we had discovered the Field House, the event guide at the gate stated the site had only been open for about a month. Residents from the neighborhood (Southwest quadrant of the city), military personnel from nearby Ft. Lesley J. McNair Army Post (I used to work on the post!), and other folks heard about it through word of mouth. 

Inside the Field House
located outside Audi Field.
© July 2018

 The Field House
perimeter fence with Ft. McNair
in the background. © July 2018

I am sure the Field House was packed during the World Cup final. Shout out to France for winning the World Cup! I liked how the countries that had played in the World Cup Series were represented by their flags posted along the perimeter fence.  The Field House is free to get in with ID check, and very family and pet friendly. At the time of our visit, there was just one LED video screen, bars to buy beer and soft drinks, and two food trucks (more to come).  There was also a game area for the kids to play. The field and soccer stadium is located directly across from the Nationals Park (baseball stadium), which makes it one of the prime locations to hangout for social gatherings and sporting events. This Southwest area is known as Buzzard Point. The     hubby and I plan to bring the kids by the Field House soon. They were curious as to why we had stamps on our hands when we got back to the house! For more information on the Field House, check out the website www.fieldhousedc.com. 

I hope to document more sites from our long walks, for this experience has given me a reason to keep writing. I hope to share a little more of the many transitions that are taking place throughout the city for which I live. I have enjoyed seeing and experiencing the Nation's Capital outside my hood on foot. I've seen a lot of changes thus far, and there is more to come. Stay tuned.

Kaisha


Photos courtesy of Kaisha S. Goring
Blog post copyright © July 23, 2018
All Rights Reserved.