This past week we went to the Boise Art Museum. A daring adventure, on my part, as I took my three young children with me. I prepped the girls ahead of time with the usual "look don't touch, keep your voice down and walk slowly" speech and was pleasantly surprised at how remarkably well they heeded my counsel. It didn't hurt to have the museum docents following us in droves as we entered and exited each gallery. It's as if they all went on red alert as soon as we had paid our admission fee. I enjoyed asking the girls various questions to get them to analyze the paintings and sculptures but most amusing of all was when I asked them which piece was their favorite and they both responded something to the effect of, "I liked this one because it's pink." But then again, they are 4, 3, and 1.
I've been to a variety of museums in multiple cities (and countries) with exquisite and famous works of art. I can even recall almost getting emotional upon entering a particular gallery at the Chicago Institute of Art when I spotted American Gothic from across the room. I don't even like that painting in particular, but it was kind of the culmination of an entire day of viewing piece after piece that I had studied in my high school art history class. It was much like taking a trip back in time. For anyone who enjoys art, viewing it in person beats studying it from a textbook by a long shot. And I'm no connoisseur.
Our trip to the Boise Art Museum paled in comparison, from an art perspective. But I loved that we could tackle the whole place in less than an hour. I loved that we didn't have to wait in any lines. I loved that, when my kids had tired of keeping their hands to themselves and acting civil, they could wander off to the children's hands-on exhibit and explore to their hearts content. I loved that it took me only fifteen minutes to drive back home during rush hour traffic!
I realized, during that fifteen minute drive home, that I have become a small town girl of sorts. Me, born in New York City, raised (partly) in Hong Kong. Me, the person who set off to Boston at age eighteen not knowing anything about the city but wanting an excitement that I thought the West could not offer. Silly old me.
I still love traveling, I still love big cities and even the mere thought of New York awakens something in me. However, I've discovered that the simple life rather suits me. I don't intend to go out and milk any cows anytime soon, but it's refreshing to bask in my surroundings and just feel grateful for the stage of life I'm enjoying, the people with whom I get to enjoy it, and the environment that provides such a great backdrop for my early mothering years. Heck, I might even go out and start my own "I heart Boise" t-shirt-making company.
5 comments:
I hear you on that one. The hustle and bustle of the city excites me as well. But, the peacefulness of a small town just feels more comfortable. I'm glad you are enjoying Boise.
And, the fact that you can take 3 small kids to an art museum and have success says alot about you as a mom...Good Job!!!
I hear that those t-shirts don't sell very well.
I miss the city life all of the time--until I remember the first 8 months of C-box's life when we still lived in San Francisco, or the trips to D.C. and Chicago with our then 2 year old in tow. Big cities make mothering that much harder, in my opinion. (Though the museums would be better!) I, too, am content to save the cities for my vacations for the time being.
You know, seeing art in museums, after studying them in books, is amazing. However, I remember feeling quite let down when I saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. For all of the added security around that painting, I expected a much larger piece of art. As it was, I had to stand in a crowd of lots of people, behind a rope 8 feet away from the wall and see the painting through thick glass.
And for the record, I think people who've lived in Boise would buy up all of your t-shirts.
I discovered the same thing about myself. Everyone bashes the Austin zoo because it can't compare to the amazing San Antonio zoo. But when we checked it out, it was like being in Boise again. No lines, stand five feet from a lion, and get through in two hours. Small just might be better!
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